LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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Shelf ...:J-L^/P- 



CNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 



OUR TRAVELLING PARTY 



FROM 



THE BALTIC TO VESUVIUS. 



A 



BY 



DANIEL C. EDDY. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



BOSTO 
D. LOTHROP & COMP 

FRANKLIN ST., CORNER HAWLEY. 




THE LIBRARY' 
OF CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



COPYRIGHT 

1882, 

By DANIEL C. EDDY. 



PRINTED BY 
C, . W . STl'DLEY &. CO. 



E1ECTR0TYPED AT THE 
BOS TO X STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY 



AS 



NOTE. 



The next number of this series of books — 
" Over the Alps and down the Rhine " — will be 
issued in a few weeks, completing the tour of the 
Percy Family in Europe. 

(7) 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP. PAG1 

I. A Ride for Daylight. 11 

II. A Batch of Letters 23 

III. Free City of the North 34 

IV. How they do in Prussia 47 

V. The Emperor's City 66 

VI. The Wonderful Cave 76 

VII. The Bride of the Sea 86 

VIII. City of Artists and Flower Girls. . . 100 

IX. First Views of Rome 116 

X. Pilgrimage to St. Peter's 127 

XI. Walks around the Forum 142 

XH. The Vatican, Inside and Out. .... 159 

XIII. The Carnival 170 

XIV. Naples 182 

XV. Climbing Vesuvius 196 

XVI. The Buried Cities 205 

XVII. Coastwise 219 

XVTII. Glimpses of Battle 232 

(8) 



ENGRAVINGS. 

PAOI 

St. Peter's, Rome 1 

The Ca' Dora Palace 10 

Venice 93 

The Campanile, Florence 114 

The Holy Stairs 138 

The Rom^n Forum 145 

A Street in Pompeii 214 

The Doria Palace 227 

(9) 



THE BALTIC TO VESUVIUS. 

Chapter I. 

A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. 

AN American who can travel in his own coun- 
try from the banks of the Kennebec to the 
shores of the Gulf of Mexico, from Plymouth 
Rock to San Francisco, without any change in 
the currency, or any examination of passports, 
or any custom house detention, is amazed in the 
old world by the frequency of the calls made 
for his passport, and at the number of dirty 
hands that are thrust into his carpet bag, and 
with the constant refusals of traders, porters, and 
hackmen to take the coin, which was current but 
a few miles distant. Those who visit Europe for 
the first time, and who have little or no experi- 
ence in these matters, often express their disgust 
in a vehement manner, but after a time become 
so familiarized to the trouble and detention, that 
they bear it with philosophical coolness. 

(11) 



12 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" What now ? " asked Mr. Tenant, as the cars 
came to a sudden stop, nearly shaking him from 
his seat. 

" I don't know," answered Walter. " We 
must wait and see." 

" Wait, must we ? " cried Minnie. " See, the 
people are getting out of the cars ; and they are 
tumbling out the baggage." 

" I think we had better be tumbling out," 
replied Walter. 

When they had alighted from the carriage, 
they found they were at the custom house on 
the Prussian frontier, where an examination of 
the baggage took place, detaining them an hour, 
which caused no little complaint among the 
passengers, who were all in a hurry to get to 
their places of destination. But at length they 
were in the cars again, and on their way. 

" Whew ! how we go ! " cried Walter, as they 
whirled through fields of grain, by towns and 
villages, across rivers, and through forests. 

The afternoon and evening were spent in con- 
versation about the places on the route, and the 
manners and customs of the people. Mr. Ten- 
ant, seeing the weariness of the whole party, 
did all he could to amuse them, and related 
many curious incidents of foreign travel. The 
children plied him with questions, all of which 



A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. 13 

he was able to answer, as his reading had been 
varied and extensive. But as night came on, 
the young people fell asleep, and for a few hours 
not a word was spoken. About midnight, how- 
ever, the train began to enter some city ; and 
Walter, always on the alert to see what was 
going on, began to rub his eyes, and peer out 
into the darkness, where all was indistinguisha- 
ble gloom. 

" Where are we ? " he asked. 

No one answered. 

" Min, I say, we are coming somewhere" 

" We have been somewhere all day," answered 
Minnie. 

" Yes, but we are coming to a great city. I 
should like to know what it is. I wish pa would 
wake up and tell us." 

" Pa and Mr. Tenant are both in Dreamland." 

" No, they are not." 

" Where are they ? " 

"In the land of Nod." 

The two gentlemen, who had overheard the 
conversation, laughed, and Mr. Percy remarked, 
" We are riding into Hanover." 

" Shall we stop ? " 

" Two hours." 

" What can we do ? " 

" We will decide when we get in." 



14 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

And soon they were in the station house at 
Hanover, where they found a long refreshment 
room well lighted, and there they took supper. 
After supper, Mr. Percy said, " Now, shall we 
throw ourselves on these lounges and get a little 
sleep, or shall we go out and get a night view 
of the city?" 

" Is there no danger here in the night ? " 
asked the little girl. 

" Danger ! You are a brave girl ! " said 
Walter. 

" I am as brave as you are ; but I don't want 
pa to go out here and get robbed, in the 
night." 

" You speak one word for father, and two for 
yourself." 

"I didn't think of myself." 

" You are afraid." 

" Pho ! " 

" I think there can be no danger," said Mr. 
Percy. "If Minnie is afraid, we will leave her 
with Colonel Sanborn and lady, who are taking 
supper in the other room." 

" Ah, ha, afraid ! That is funny." 

" Well, then we will go out." 

As they left the depot, Walter asked, " What 
is the city of Hanover noted for ? " 

" Not much," replied his father. " It is the 



A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. 15 

capital of the kingdom of Hanover, and is built 
in the form of a half moon." 

They wandered about for some time, and at 
length sat down on a bench under some trees, 
near the palace which loomed up before them, 
and in front of which sentinels were slowly 
pacing backward and forward. 

" I remember," said Walter to his father, as 
they sat there in the night air, " that you told 
us that one of the races of English sovereigns 
was styled the ' House of Hanover.' " 

" Yes." 

" Did that line of sovereigns originate here ? " 

" Yes." 

" Well, how did they get to the throne of 
England ? " 

" By a very natural process." 

" Please tell me about it." 

" I will. The last of the house of Stuart was 
Anne." 

" The one that was called ' the good queen 
Anne ' ? " 

"The same." 

" Why did they call her the good queen ? " 
asked Minnie. 

" Because she was a good wife and mother, 
and also a good queen, though she had many 
troubles during her reign." 



16 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" But what had she to do with the origin of 
the house of Hanover ? " queried Walter. 

" If you will not interrupt me again, I will 
tell you." 

" I will not interrupt again." 

" Well, on the death of Anne, George Lewis, 
the elector of Hanover, came to the throne. He 
was the son of Ernest Augustus and Sophia, 
granddaughter of James I." 

" Ah ! " 

" He was the most direct heir to the throne, 
and ascended it in 1714, when Anne died." 

" I understand." 

" Understand what, Walt ? " asked his sister. 

" Why, what we were talking about, certainly, 
— the way in which the British throne was 
transferred from the house of Stuart to the 
house of Hanover." 

" I think we had better return to the sta- 
tion," said Mr. Tenant, coming up to the 
group. 

" Yes," replied Mr. Percy ; " the children 
will get cold if they stay here much longer in 
the night air." 

So they all moved towards the depot, which 
they found crowded with people, some lying 
down asleep, some smoking, some reading, and 
others gayly conversing together, or walking 



A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. 17 

about. They met Colonel Sanborn and his 
wife, the latter of whom was as fussy as ever, 
declaring that she had had no sleep for a week, 
and was almost worn out with fatigue. Her 
husband seemed to take no notice of her com- 
plaints, but moved about very quietly attending 
to his baggage, and looking out for his wife's 
boxes and bundles. 

At four o'clock in the morning, they all took 
cars for Hamburg. The Percy family all found 
seats in one carriage, and there being no other 
persons with them, they could converse freely ; 
and as the children were wide awake, the two 
gentlemen had as much as they could do to 
answer questions. 

Minnie made Mr. Tenant tell her all about 
the legend of the Flying Dutchman, interrupting 
him a dozen times to declare her scepticism as 
to the particulars, and ending with assuring the 
narrator that she did not believe a word of it. 
Walter was gathering facts from his father in 
relation to the places through which they passed, 
and with his map of Europe in his hand, he 
gained considerable information. 

At length they arrived at the end of their 
railway ride, and the party at once began to 
gather up their bags and bundles, and leave 
the cars. 

VOL. iv. 2 



18 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" 0, I am so glad we are there ? " cried 
Minnie. 

" So am I," answered Walter. 

" But we are not there, children," said Mr. 
Percy. 

" Not there ? " 

"No." 

u Then where are we ? " 

" Where do you think ? " 

" I don't know." 

" Does this look like Hamburg ? " 

" No, not like what I expected Hamburg to 
be. What place is this ? " 

" It is Haarburg." 

" Where is Hamburg ? " 

" Follow us, and you will see." 

The children followed on to a carriage, into 
which they entered, and were driven to the 
bank of a river, where they found a steamboat 
just ready to start out, and they went on board 
of her. When they were all seated, Mr. Percy 
said, — 

" This river is the Elbe, and Hamburg is a 
few miles distant. We shall reach the city in 
an hour." 

The hour was very pleasantly spent on board 
the little steamer, which was crowded with all 
sorts of people. Minnie got a cool place in the 



A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. i9 

shade, and Walter was on the lookout for any 
novel incident that might occur. Mrs. Sanborn 
screamed because a German trod on her long 
travelling dress, and gave him a scolding in 
English, of which he understood not a word ; 
and he apologized in German, of which she 
knew not a syllable. Just as they reached the 
landing at Hamburg, Walter called out, — 

" Father ? " 

" What say, my son ? " 

" Let me get a conveyance, and be guide to a 
hotel." 

" I do not know as we can trust you." 

" 0, yes, you can. Don't tell me any thing, 
but let me try." 

« Well." 

Out he sprang, and soon returned with a man 
who was to carry out the baggage. 

" Here, this way, Minnie ; I have engaged a 
droskie" shouted Walter. 

" A what ? " 

" A droskie." 

" Mercy, the boy is crazy ! Let me run and 
see what a droskie is." 

The gentlemen laughed. 

" Walter, where is the droskie ? " 

"This is it," replied Walter, pointing to a 
hackney coach which he had engaged. 



20 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

The little girl sprang into the coach, and 
settled back into the soft cushions, laughing 
at what she termed Walter's attempt at show- 
ing off. The driver, having taken his seat, 
turned to get directions, looking inquiringly at 
the two gentlemen, who pointed to Walter. 

" Drive to Hotel de l'Europe." 

« Yah ! " 

Up one street and clown another, through 
broad avenues and winding passages, they rode 
for a quarter of an hour, when the hack stopped 
before an elegant hotel on the Jungfernstieg, 
and the driver in great haste began to unstrap 
the baggage. 

" Is this Hotel de l'Europe ? " asked Walter, 
of the driver. 

" Yaw." 

" Put on the baggage again ! Put on the 
baggage, quick ! " cried the lad. 

" What now, Walter ? " asked his father. 

" The man is cheating us." 

" How ? " 

" Why, this is Hotel Victoria." 

" How do you know ? " 

" There is the name up there." 

" Sure enough ; but it is an elegant hotel. 
We had better stop here." 

" 0, no, sir ; the man is trying to cheat us. 



A RIDE FOR DAYLIGHT. 21 

He is paid by the keeper. On with the baggage, 
driver." 

The fellow, probably feed by the keeper of 
the hotel for every passenger brought to that 
house, put on the baggage in a surly manner, 
and drove to the right public house, which was 
but a short distance off, on a beautiful street 
called the Ahterdam. Mr. Tenant was about 
to leap out, when Walter stopped him. 

" Wait, wait, sir ; let me go in and engage 
apartments." 

" Walter, you are a case," laughingly cried 
Mr. Tenant. 

" A show case," suggested Minnie. 

While he was gone in, Minnie said to her 
father, — 

" I heard you call the street that the other 
hotel stands on, Jung-strongferng-, or something 
of that kind." 

" I called it Jungfernstieg " (pronounced 
Yoongfernsteeg-.} 

" Well, what does that mean ? " 

" It means ' Maiden's walk.' " 

" Ah ! then I will walk there." 

Walter now appeared. He had engaged very 
fine apartments on the third floor, facing the 
Alster basin, and had secured them on very rea- 



22 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

sonable terms ; and soon the party was severally 
engaged in bathing, unstrapping trunks, and 
shaving, and the usual employments of travel- 
lers for the first hour after arriving in the city ; 
and thus we leave them occupied. 




A BATCH OF LETTERS. 23 



Chapter II. 
A BATCH OF LETTERS. 

" T)AP, rap, rap," sounded on the door of 

-"> Mr. Percy's room, about an hour after 
their arrival, as, with toilet duties performed, 
the whole party were gathered at one of the 
windows looking out upon the Alsterbasin, cov- 
ered with little boats, and swans, whose long, 
white necks were stretched up or plunged deep 
beneath the surface. 

" Rap, rap, rap." 

" I guess somebody wants to get in, pa," said 
Minnie. 

" Rap, rap, rap." 

" Come in." 

" Ze lettes for von gentlishman, vot sent por- 
ter ! " exclaimed the servant, as he opened the 
door. 

" Ah, yes, I sent to the post-office," said Mr. 
Tenant, taking a package of letters from the 
servant's hand. 

" Hurrah ! " was Walter's joyful cry. 

" A lot of them," chimed in Mr. Percy. 



24 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Cut the string, Mr. Tenant," cried Minnie. 

That gentleman slowly untied the bundle, and 
looked over the letters. 

" 0, do be quick ! " cried Minnie, impatiently. 

" No hurry, child. Let me see — one for me ; 
from Jenkins, probably." 

" 0, how provoking ! " 

" Another for me — from Har " 

" It's too bad ! " 

" One for friend Percy." 

Mr. Percy took the letter. 

" Two more for Mr. Percy." 

" Who are the next for ? I cannot wait." 

" One two, three, for Walter." 

" None for me." 

" Yes, three for you, Min, and the rest are 
papers." 

The children took the precious documents, and 
hurried away to their rooms to read them. The 
gentlemen opened theirs, and found them filled 
with business matters, and family affairs, and 
kind words from dear ones. But as they will 
not be likely to interest the reader, we will fol- 
low the children to Walter's room, where they 
are laughing and weeping by turns over the let- 
ters they had received. 

" Here is one," said Walter, " written to you 
and me." 



A BATCH OF LETTERS. 25 

" Who is it from ? " 

"Mother!'' 

" 0, do read that first." 

Walter read his mother's letter, as follows : — > 

My Dear Children : — 

Your constant letters are a source of much 
comfort while you are absent. We read them 
over and over again, and the children in the 
neighborhood come and take them away, and 
read them to each other. I think I can see a 
constant improvement in the style and con- 
struction of your letters. They are more nat- 
ural and graceful, and win for you many 
compliments from those who see them. Our 

dear pastor, Rev. Mr. K , remarked to a 

friend that week that Walter seems to be real- 
izing more solid benefit from his journey than 
most men would. I tell you these things to 
stimulate you to do better still. Only that you 
are being benefited by the tour you are making, 
would enable me to endure the prolonged ab- 
sence of my dear boy and girl. 

I am also glad to hear from your father such 
good account of your conduct. He tells me that 
you do not put yourself forward, or intrude your- 
selves upon other people. This is well. A bold 
boy or a brazen girl will not be loved by those 



26 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

who come in contact with them. But a modest 
child will secure a ready way to every generous 
heart. I feared that hotel life, and a constant 
contact with travellers of all lands, would take 
away your humility, and the deference you have 
always paid to persons older and better informed 
than yourselves, and am pleased to hear that my 
fears were groundless. 

***** 

Among the boys in this neighborhood there 
prevails a strong desire to visit Europe. Wal- 
ter's letters are read by them, and not a few are 
coaxing their parents to take them to the old 
world. Harry St. Clair seems to be wild with 
excitement, and his mother told me yesterday 
that she must prohibit his reading any more of 
your descriptions of what you see. The boy 
don't know what to make of what you write. 
***** 

Charlie, I think, has improved as much at 
home as you have abroad. He and Rover are 
constant friends, the dog attending him in all his 
excursions. Charlie says he can catch trout as 
well as Walter can, and his uncle Winthrop has 
promised to take him into the country, where he 
can fish all he knows how to. When you return 
you will find him much improved. He has 
grown tall, and at school is making rapid pro- 



A BATCH OF LETTERS. 27 

ficiency. Yet I think he is lonesome, and sighs 
for his brother and sister. Last night, when I 
put him to bed, he asked, — 

" Mother, do you think Walter and Minnie 
pray away off there." 

" Yes," I said, " I hope they do." 

He thought a moment, and then asked, — 

" What do they pray for ? " 

" They pray," I answered, " that God will 
keep them safe from harm, guard them from all 
dangers, make them good children, and return 
them, when the time arrives, to their home." 

" But, mother, do you think they ever pray 
for me ? " 

I told him I thought you did pray for little 
Charlie ; and then he made me talk about you 
until he went to sleep with smiles on his face. 
And now, dear children, remember the advice I 
have given you in my previous letters, and write 
as often as you can, even if it be but a very few 
lines. 

Your Mother. 

The passages left out of this letter relate to 
some family matters, and to certain directions 
as to the clothing of the young travellers. When 
Walter closed the letter, he sat some time looking 
out the window, while Minnie, with her head on 



28 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

»o^<h 

her hand, was gently tapping the floor with her 
dainty little foot. She was first to break the 
silence. 

" What a dear, kind, good mother we have, 
Walter ! " 

" Yes, she loves us very much." 

" And we should love her, and be very kind 
to her." 

" Certainly, for we do not know how long we 
shall have her." 

" Have her ? " asked Minnie, inquiringly, as 
her eyes filled with tears. 

" She may not live long. I remember she 
herself said once, that " 

" Walter, don't talk so ; you make my heart 
ache." 

" Well, we will read another letter. Here is 
one from Harry St. Clair: " — 

Cambridge, 1858. 
Heigh-ho, Walter ! how are you ? Your mother 
told me where I could direct a letter to you, and 
so I concluded to write. You may be having 
such a good time that you will not want to hear 
from home. I wish I could fly over to where you 
are. At first I did not believe what you wrote ; 
but old Falkner (who, by the way, is savage as a 
tiger this summer) tells me that your descrip- 
tions are all facts, and 



A BATCH OF LETTERS. 29 

" Old Falkner ! " interrupted Minnie ; " that 
is a pretty way to talk about his school teacher." 

" Very true, but Harry is a wild boy, and has 
not been trained very well." 

" I should be ashamed to be so disrespectful 
to my teacher." 

" So should I. Besides, Mr. Falkner is such 
a perfect gentleman, that I wonder Harry is 
not more respectful." 

" Well, read on." 

I have been .asking my father to let me visit 
Europe, but the stingy old fellow says it will 
cost so much that he cannot afford it, and tells 
me that I must wait. 

" Who does he mean by ' stingy old fellow,' 
Walter ? " asked Minnie. 

" His father, of course." 

" His father ? " 

" Yes." 

" Well, I would throw his letter out the 
window." 

" No, let me read." 

That is the way it always is — I must ivait. 
But I am bound to have a good time at home. 
The other day, when the old man had gone to 
town, I went 



30 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Who does he mean by ' old man ' ? " 
" His father." 

" What a heathen he is, speaking of his father 
thus ! " 

" Let me finish the letter." 
" Go on." 

I went into the stable, and harnessed the sor- 
rel horse, and set off to ride. I got Frank 
Day, and Arthur Boyce, and Tom Fellows, and 
away we went down through the Port, over the 
bridge, into town, rattling over the pavements, 
until the old horse sweat and the old chaise rat- 
tled. Well, we were out three hours, when I 
thought it time to get home, lest I should get 
caught. As we were going over the bridge we 
saw a team right in the way before us, and wish- 
ing to do a brave thing, I went up close behind, 
and cried out, " Get out of the way, you old 
fashioned team, or I will run you down." The 
carriage drew up to one side of the road, and as we 
passed I put out my head, and who do you think 
was in the carriage ? Why, my old man and 
your uncle Winthrop. The way I put my head 
back was a caution. He did not see me, and 
being engaged in conversation, did not notice 
Sorrel. I got back as soon as I could, and when 
he reached the house I was sitting under the 



A BATCH OF LETTERS. 31 

old elm, whittling out a boat for your brother 
Charles. 

Thus, you see, we are having high times — 
about as good as to be in Europe. We shall all 
be glad to see you home. 

Harry St. Clair. 

" Well, what do you think of that letter ? " 

" I am ashamed of it." 

" Harry is a fast boy." 

" He will be a ruined boy." 

" I am afraid he will. But I have one more." 

Walter : — 

I am printing a letter to you, and Miss Wright, 
the teacher, says she will correct it. She don't 
mean " correct it " as she corrects the boys, but 
put in the stops, and dot the i's and cross the t's, 
and fix the capitals right. I don't see why you 
don't come home. We all want to see you, and 
Rose Thornton blushes every time your name is 
mentioned — so Harry St. Clair says. Most all 
the boys have been away this summer, and we 
have been nowhere but to hingham and hull — 
I ought to put a great H before hingham and 
hull. 

I would like to have you see a boat Harry St. 
Clair has made for me. It is a buster, I tell 



32 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

you. It is two foot — feet long. The masts are 
not in, nor are the sails up ; but when you come 
home it will all be done. If Minnie was here 
she could make the sails out of cotton cloth, and 
sew them on the spars — the things that go 
across, you know. Walter, how does Minnie 
look now ? Mother said the other day that she 
had got to be a little woman, and I thought I 
would like to know how she looked — a little 



woman 



Charles. 

" What does he mean about Kose Thornton, 
Walter ? " asked his sister. 

" Nothing." 

" He does." 

" Nonsense." 

" You gallanted Rose Thornton home from 
the picnic last summer, and have sent her bou- 
quets ever since." 

"What of it?" 

" Pretty for a boy like you ! " 

" You are a silly little girl; but read your let- 
ters to me." 

Minnie then read her three letters, all of which 
were from her young schoolmates, and all 
breaihed an affection for the little wanderer 
who once formed a part of the happy group. 



A BATCH OF LETTERS. 33 

These having been read and discussed, the 
brother and sister went into their father's room, 
where they found him with several American 
newspapers, which they looked over with as 
much interest as they had read their letters. 
Mr. Percy pointed them to several items of news 
that he thought would be of interest to them. 

They were then called to a substantial dinner, 
after which they took a carriage and rode through 
the streets of Hamburg, looking at the public 
buildings, and at the houses of the people. They 
found a great difference in the streets, some of 
them being long, wide, and elegant, and others 
narrow, close, crooked, and filled witli poor, 
mean habitations. The difference will be ex- 
plained hereafter. 
vol. iv. 3 



?.: 



34 THE PERCY FAMILY, 



Chapter III. 

FREE CITY OF THE NORTH. 

EVERY person who visits Hamburg comes away 
with a pleasant impression of the city. Some 
parts of it resemble the towns in Holland, while 
other parts are fresh and new, more resembling 
the new part of Edinburgh. The morning after 
our party arrived they went out to see the ob- 
jects of interest. As they entered the carriage 
Walter asked, — 

" Why is Hamburg called a free city ? " 

" What do you think ? " 

" I do not know ; but perhaps it is called a 
free city because no duties are levied on goods 
that are brought in." 

" No, not that." 

" I should have known better than that," said 
Minnie, " because our baggage was examined 
when we came in. If there were no duties, 
what would our baggage have been overhauled 
for ? " 

" True enough ; I did not think of that." 

" There are," said Mr. Percy, " several fri 



FREE CITY OF THE NORTH. 85 

towns, known as such, because they have their 
own municipal regulations and officers, and are 
not subject to any power beyond themselves. 
Hamburg is one of them." 

" What are the others ? " 

" Bremen, Lubeck, and Frankfort. There 
were others, but they have renounced their in- 
dependence." 

" How many inhabitants has Hamburg ? " 

" About one hundred and fifty thousand. 
What you thought was an examination of bag- 
gage when you came in was merely an express 
arrangement for marking it." 

" But, father, some sections of this city look 
very new and some very old. This part through 
which we are driving is very ancient. About our 
hotel it is all new, and looks as if just built ; 
how is that ? " 

" I can tell you. A great conflagration oc- 
curred here in 1842, which swept away a large 
part of the city. What is now the new part, is 
the old burnt district rebuilt." 

" Ah ! " 

" Yes, the part burnt was as mean as that 
through which we are riding." 

" How much was burnt ? " 

" The fire swept through sixty-one streets, 
and many courts, ways, and small avenues, and 



36 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

laid in ashes seventeen hundred and forty-nine 
houses." 

" Tremendous ! " 

" In the burnt district were several large and 
elegant churches, which seemed but stubble in 
the sway of the flames." 

" How long did it burn ? " 

" It commenced on one Thursday, and was not 
checked until the following Sunday." 

" How did they arrest it ? " 

" At first they pulled houses down ; then rid- 
dled them with cannon balls. At length, by 
advice of an English engineer, they used gun- 
powder, and blew them up." 

" What a great calamity ! " 

" It seemed so at first, but it proved a great 
source of public improvement. All these new 
buildings have taken the place of old ones. The 
Alsterbasin has been much improved, and the 
city greatly benefited." 

" Walter, Walter ! " exclaimed Minnie. 

" What say ? " 

" See that girl ? " 

" What girl ? " 

" The one over there, with no bonnet on." 

"What of her?" 

" Why, she has a little baby coffin under her 



FREE CITY OF THE NORTH. 37 

" So she has." 

" That is queer. Is she going to bury it ? " 

" I don't know. I will ask pa." 

" Father," he continued, " there is a girl over 
there with a little coffin under her arm — what 
is she going to do with it ? " 

" That is not a coffin, my son." 

" Not a coffin ? " 

" No, if you look about you will see many 
such girls." 

" Yes, Walter," said Minnie, " there is an- 
other, and another. There are several of them." 

" I see. What and who are they, father ? " 

" They are servant girls, and what seems to 
be a coffin under the arm is a long basket ; and 
if you could take off the shawl, you would find 
the basket filled with articles for the table." 

" But they are all alike. The shawls that 
cover the baskets are all alike." 

" True ; all of these girls you see are dressed 
alike — a lace cap, kid gloves, and pretty shawl. 
The better circumstanced the young woman is, 
the neater she will be attired, but in the same 
general style." 

" That is a singular custom." 

" Yes ; and it is a custom that prevails all 
through Germany. When you see one of them, 
you know she is a housemaid or cook." 



38 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Among us this class of persons would not 
like to wear any thing to indicate their station, 
but would conceal all evidence of it." 

" Generally that wonld be the case, but here 
it is the reverse. The housemaids choose to be 
known as such, as it distinguishes them from 
classes in still more humble condition." 

The carriage now stopped before a church, 
and as Walter looked up he said, " This is one 
of the tall steeples." 

" I should think so," replied his father. 

" What church is it ? " 

" St. Michael's." 

" Is the steeple as high as St. Paul's in Lon- 
don ? " 

" Yes ; about one hundred feet higher." 

" How many feet is this ? " 

" Can you not tell, if this is one hundred 
feet higher than St. Paul's ? " 

" Let me see. St. Paul's is about three hundred 
and fifty feet, so this must be about four hundred 
and fifty feet." 

They had now entered the church, and as 
they gazed about, Minnie asked, — 

" What have you brought us here for ? I 
don't see any thing of interest." 

The church at this moment shook with the 
thunder of a cannon . 



FREE CITY OF THE NORTH. 89 

" That is why we have come here," replied 
Mr. Percy ; " let us go at once into the steeple." 

" I don't understand yet." 

" Do you know, Walter ? " 

" I think I do, sir." 

" Then explain to your sister." 

" What is it, Walter ? " 

" Why, this steeple is the tallest in the city, 
and on that account is used as a watch tower. 
A man is on the lookout from this steeple day 
and night. When he sees a fire he discharges 
his cannon. That is what you heard." 

" Is there a fire in the city now ? " 

" Yes ; but here we are at the watch station." 

Here they found a man holding a flag with 
some figures on it, which indicated the direction 
of the fire. They looked, and saw, about a half 
mile distant, the red flames curling up from a 
small wooden building. They also saw the peo- 
ple flocking in that direction, and the engines 
at work at the fire. 

Leaving this church they went to St. Nicholas, 
a large, unfinished edifice, in the Hapfenmarkt, 
to the Borse, where they found London and New 
York papers, and the steps of which were cov- 
ered with flower girls selling flowers and fruit ; 
to the Eathhaus, where they saw the offices of 
the city officials, and to many other places. 



40 rHE PERCY FAMILY. 

Several days were spent in Hamburg, in look- 
ing about the streets, walking around the Alster- 
basin, sailing on the Alster, and in riding about 
the environs, which are very pleasant. 

One morning Mr. Percy said to Walter, " My 
son, have you any places you wish to go to be- 
fore we leave Hamburg ? " 

" Yes, sir ; I was told that some eminent men 
were born here, and if so, I would like to see 
where they lived." 

" What men of eminence do you refer to ? " 

" Mr. Falkner told me, before I left home, that 
the poet Klopstock lived here." 

" He did live here thirty years, and his house 
still stands." 

They took a droskie and rode to Konigistrasse, 
where they found the house. They then went 
to the house in which Felix Mendelssohn Bar- 
tholdy was born. Minnie wanted to know who 
these two persons were ; she had never heard of 
them. Her father gave her all the particulars in 
his possession, in which she was much interested. 

Thus day after day was spent. The city was 
so attractive that they lingered there some time. 
Their stay, however, was quite abruptly termi- 
nated by a new proposal made by Mr. Tenant, 
who, one "morning at breakfast, after a long si- 
lence, said, — 



FREE CITY OP THE NORTH. 41 

" I have a notion." 

" Is it a Boston notion ? " asked Minnie. 

" No." 

" Or a Yankee notion ? " 

" No." 

" Well, tell us, do; yon men are such teasers." 

" My notion is, that we had better go farther 
north. That is not in our plan, but we had 
better do it." 

" How far ? " asked Mr. Percy. 

" To Copenhagen." 

" What country is that in ? " asked Minnie of 
Walter. 

" In Denmark." 

The plan pleased all the company but Minnie, 
who did not like the idea of going northward ; 
but it was voted to go. So, leaving the mass of 
the baggage at the hotel in Hamburg, they rode 
in the cars to Kiel, where they took a steamer 
for Copenhagen. The voyage over the Baltic 
Sea was delightful. None of the party were sea- 
sick, and they arrived safely in Denmark, where 
they had a most delightful time. Then, crossing 
over into Sweden, they spent a week in that 
country. They found some difficulty in making 
the people understand what they wanted, and 
various amusing adventures and curious mis- 
takes added interest to the excursion. When 



42 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

they had seen enough of these countries, they 
set out for Hamburg, where they arrived late 
one cloudy evening. 

The next morning was the Sabbath, and the 
day dawned clear and beautiful. The whole 
city seemed asleep, for the quiet of holy time 
had settled upon it. 

" Where shall we go to-day ? " asked Mr. 
Tenant, as they all assembled at the breakfast 
table. 

" We must try to improve the day some 
how ? " answered Mr. Percy. 

" I'll tell you where I'm going," cried Minnie. 

" Where, Min ? " asked her brother. 

" To bed." 

" What, in the daytime ? " 

" Yes." 

" What for ? " 

" I am all tired out, and must rest." 

" Are you afraid to stay here alone ? " 

" Afraid of what, sir knight ? " 

" Of being carried away." 

" Ha, ha ! that is funny ! " 

" We can leave Minnie at home," said her 
father. 

" But where shall we go ? " 

" To some church." 

" I know, pa ; that missionary who was in 



FREE CITY OF THE NORTH. 4-J 

America a few years ago is here ; we can go to 
his church." 

" Who ? " asked Mr. Tenant. 

" What missionary ? " asked Mr. Percy. 

" Mr. Chicken." 

" 0, yes, I have seen and heard him. I like 
the idea," said Mr. Tenant. 

So they went out after breakfast to see if 
they could find the chapel of the missionary. 
This they did without much difficulty, as Mr. 
Oncken is widely known and highly esteemed. 
In a humble street, they saw, over the door of 
a plain building, the words, " Baptesten Ka- 
pelle," and on entering a yard soon found the 
place. The chapel is a long, narrow room, capa- 
ble of seating about three hundred persons. It 
was very full, and during the whole service the 
people were very attentive. Almost every per- 
son had a Bible, and when the preacher referred 
to any particular passage, they turned to the 
place and read after him. Walter was amused 
by seeing that the men and women did not sit 
together, but the men sat on one side of the 
house and the women on the other. 

At the close of the service, the gentlemen 
went forward and addressed the missionary, who 
gave them a very kind welcome, as soon as he 
knew they were from America. At his request 



44 THE PEECY FAMILY. 

they accompanied him to his home, just outside 
of the city, where they found him delightfully 
(ocated ; and wishing him much success in his 
work, they took leave of him. As they left him, 
he gave Walter a beautiful picture, to keep as a 
memento of his visit. 

When they arrived at the hotel they found 
Minnie sitting by the window, looking at her 
watch, which lay before her, with the crystal 
broken, the hands off, the case indented, and 
the thing otherwise injured. 

" Ah, what is the matter, Min ? " was her 
brother's salutation. 

" Matter enough, I think." 

" What is the trouble ? " 

" Don't you see ? " 

" I see your watch broken to pieces." 

" Well, that is the matter." 

" How did you do it ? " 

" I'll tell you. You see I had been lying 
down, and when I awoke I took my watch, and 
was tossing it by the chain, when the clasp gave 
way, and the watch went bang against the wall." 

" That was downright carelessness." 

" I was not hardly awake." 

" If you had been sound asleep you should 
have used your watch better than that." 

" Well, there it is ; father, can it be mended ? " 



FEEE CITY OF THE NORTH. 45 

" Yes." 

" 0, well, that will make it all right." 

" It may restore the watch," said Mr. Percy, 
" but it will not atone for your carelessness." 

" I couldn't help it." 

" Yes, my daughter, you could. You were 
throwing the watch about, and using it in an 
improper manner." 

" It will not cost much to mend it." 

" That makes no difference. You should take 
care of your watch, and your clothing, as if you 
were obliged to earn the money for them your- 
self." 

" Well, pa, overlook it this time, and I will 
try and be more careful in future." 

The evening of this Sabbath day was spent by 
our travellers at their rooms, in talking about 
home, and the dear friends far away over the 
ocean. 

On Monday forenoon Minnie's watch was re- 
paired, the hotel bills were settled, a few neces- 
sary articles purchased, and several calls made. 
After dinner the children were urged by their 
father to get a few hours sleep, as they were to 
ride in the night. At first they were unwilling 
to do so, but Mr. Percy urging the matter, they 
consented, and slept three or four hours, and 
about dark awoke much refreshed. A little 



46 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

before midnight they started for Berlin, prefer- 
ring to ride in the cool night, rather than in the 
heat of day. It was dark, and the windows of 
the cars were small, and they saw nothing on 
the way. The train went whirling on through 
darkness until day-dawn, when the wheels ceased 
to turn, and our travellers found themselves in 
the capital of Prussia. Here new and strange 
scenes awaited them. Customs and habits which 
they had not met with before surprised and de- 
lighted them, and they were in just the state of 
mind to be pleased with every change. It would 
be hard to tell which enjoyed this journey most, 
the gentlemen or their youthful companions. 
Walter was sure that he was reaping the most 
pleasure and profit from the trip, while Minnie 
declared that no person ever derived as much 
good from a tour in Europe as she did ; while 
the fresh color in the face of Mr. Percy gave 
evidence that he was much benefited. 




HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 47 



Chapter IV. 

HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 

WE are to crowd a kingdom into a single 
chapter, and that a kingdom that occupies 
a central position, and has a commanding influ- 
ence among the nations of Europe. 

Our travellers were at a comfortable hotel in 
the city of Frederick the Great, the people of 
which were just pouring out from their homes 
to the business of the day. 

" What have you ordered, Walter ? " asked 
his father, as the lad came in from the office. 

" A bath, a breakfast, and a droskie, sir." 

" All at once ? " 

" No, sir ; the bath now ; the breakfast in an 
hour ; the droskie at nine o'clock." 

" Very well." 

The bath was taken, and soon breakfast was 
eaten, and the droskie came to the door. It 
was decided that a few hours should be spent in 
riding about the city, seeing the outside of 
things, and becoming acquainted with the gen- 
eral appearance of the place. As they rod© 



48 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

around, a valet de place pointed out the objects 
of interest, and gave such information as the 
party needed, they meanwhile being engaged in 
conversation. 

" What street is this ? " asked Minnie, as they 
rode through a beautiful avenue. 

" This," replied her father, " is the celebrated 
JJnter der Linden." 

" Why so called ? " 

" Can you not tell ? " 

" No." 

" Can you, Walter?" 

" Yes, sir, I have heard. Besides, if I had 
not, I should have known. The street derives 
its name from these beautiful rows of Linden 
trees." 

" That is right ; the name signifies under the 
Linden trees ; and the street is said by the peo- 
ple here to be the most beautiful on the con- 
tinent." 

" Who is king, father ? " asked the boy. 

" Frederick William IV." 

" Is he an able monarch ? " 

" No, quite otherwise." 

" Please tell us all about him." 

" For a long time the king has been in an 
idiotic state, and the kingdom is governed by 
the prince regent." 



HOW TKfcY DO IN PRUSSIA. 40 

" How came he idiotic ? " 

u When he came to the throne, being incapa- 
olo of sustaining himself, lie left the offices of 
state to others, and fell into habits of intemper- 
ance. His queen, a woman of much more charac- 
ter than her husband, for a long time concealed 
his faults, but with all her ingenuity the fact of 
his idiocy came out." 

" There are," said Mr. Tenant, joining the 
conversation, " many good stories told of this 
king, growing out of his demented state." 

" 0, tell them," said Minnie ; " tell them, if 
they are funny." 

" One thing I have read is this : ' There exists 
still an old custom at Potsdam, according to 
which the fishermen once in the year pay to the 
king an old feudal tribute of fish. On that occa- 
sion, the queen, to prove to the mass of the peo- 
ple the falsehood of the rumors then freely 
circulating as to the state of the royal mind, 
dared to invite the foremost of these men to a 
fish dinner, to be presided over by the king him- 
self. In fact, the dinner went off pretty well, 
the king muttering some words learned by rote, 
smiling, and, on the whole, behaving properly. 
The queen, anxious lest the scene so well got 
up should be spoiled, hastened to give the guests 
the signal of departure, when all at once the 
VOL. iv. 4 



50 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

king rose, and in a thundering voice, demanded 
to be put in the frying pan.' This story I give 
you just as I read it." 

" Do you believe it ? " 

" More than likely it is true." 

" Tell us another." 

" It is said that on the occasion when the 
Queen of Portugal celebrated her nuptials at 
Berlin by proxy, the king " 

" Plague take the French," cried Minnie ; 
"what does by proxy mean." 

"It is not French, I know," interposed 
Walter. 

"What is it?" 

" English." 

" What does it mean ? " 

" By another." 

" Well, go on ; I won't interrupt again." 

" ' The king was to have publicly assisted at 
the church ceremonies. Every thing was ready, 
and ministers, aides-de-camp, courtiers, foreign 
ambassadors, and the bride herself, were waiting 
for him, when, all at once, despite the desperate 
efforts of the queen, he was overtaken by the 
hallucination of believing himself the bride- 
groom. Some queer remarks he dropped as to 
his singular destiny in being married again 
during the lifetime of his first spouse, and as to 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 51 

the impropriety of his (the bridegroom's) ap- 
pearance in a military uniform, left his exhibit- 
ors no chance but to countermand the spectacle 
which had been announced.' " 

" That is a good one," exclaimed both chil- 
dren at once. 

" I have another," said Mr. Tenant. 

"What is it?" 

" When it was seen that the king could not be 
retained in Berlin with safety, he was sent, under 
keepers, to Italy. He made some stay in the 
beautiful city of Florence, and there the follow- 
ing story is told of him : ' The royal patient was 
perfectly sane all day, received his guests, chat- 
ted, laughed, and was quite jolly ; the dinner 
was announced, the company marched in ; the 
king, of course, took his place at the head of the 
table, and every body waited for him to set the 
example to put their spoons in their mouths. 
But instead of doing what was expected of him, 
his majesty deliberately washed his face in the 
soup, and then sat complacently smiling on 
his friends, the long strings of vermicelli hang- 
ing down over his eyes and nose, and in his 
hair and mustache. You may imagine the 
effect ; no one dared to laugh, however, and 
they had to sit out the dinner with this ridicu- 
lous figure-head, covered with gravy, (for he 



52 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

sternly refused towels,) talking to them all the 
while."' 

" What an old simpleton ! ha, ha, ha! " was the 
response of Minnie. 

" A funny king he must have been," was 
Walter's answer. 

Just then a shouting was heard, a handsome 
carriage was seen dashing down the street, and 
the droskie driver drew up to one side. 

" What now ? " asked Mr. Percy. 

" The prince ! The prince ! " replied the 
valet de place. 

"The young prince ? " 

They were soon satisfied, for the Prince Fred- 
erick William, and his young wife, the princess 
royal of England, came driving by. The car- 
riage in which they rode was an open one, and 
our travellers had a fine opportunity to see them. 
The princess was richly, but plainly dressed, 
and Minnie declared at once that she looked like 
her queen mother, only was much prettier. 

The intense heat now admonished them to re- 
turn to the hotel, where they rested the remain- 
der of the day, writing letters to friends, or from 
the window of the hotel watching the passing 
crowds. 

The several succeeding days were devoted to 
the objects of interest in Berlin. The Royal 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 53 

Palace, an odd old structure, took up one day. 
The exterior of the building is very mean, but 
the interior is one blaze of wealth. The throne 
room, the several state apartments, are all deco- 
rated in the most costly style ; one of them hav- 
ing been recently repaired, at an expense of six 
hundred thousand dollars. This whole palace 
abounds with curious things, and a visit to it is 
of the utmost interest. In the throne room is a 
large metallic music gallery, much resembling- 
silver. In the time of Frederick the Great, the 
gallery was not imitation, but massive silver. 
But that monarch, at the close of one of his wars, 
wanting money, took this gallery down, and re- 
placed it by its imitation substitute, melting the 
bars, posts, and ornaments, much to the wonder 
of the ignorant people, who could not conceive 
where the monarch obtained so much money in 
such hard times. 

As they wandered about in this palace, Walter 
asked, — 

" Have I not read that this building was 
haunted ? " 

" Haunted ? " screamed Minnie, at the top of 
her voice, causing a party of English ladies and 
gentlemen, near by, to look and laugh. 

" Yes, haunted, Min." 

" If it is, let me get out." 



54 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" If it is haunted, Minnie, the ghost will not 
trouble you," said Mr. Tenant. 

" Why not ? " 

" Because it only appears when a member of 
the royal family dies, and then only to some 
member of the royal family." 

" Do you believe it ? " 

" Of course not. But the story is, that just 
before the death of any member of the royal 
family, the White Lady, as she is called, appears 
to any one of the family that may enter the 
building. Of course it is only a foolish super- 
stition." 

Another day was spent in the great national 
Museum. Minnie, who was ill that day, did not 
go ; and when the party returned, Walter told 
her what they had seen. 

" Come, Walter," she said, " sit down and 
tell me what you have seen, and where you have 
been." 

u Well, we have been to the Museum, and 
have seen lots of things." 

" What ? " 

" Why, first, the building was very beautiful, 
built about twenty years ago. Then we saw hosts 
of paintings and statues, that it would take mo 
till to-morrow morning to describe." 

" What else ? " 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 55 

" Close by this Museum is another, called the 
New Museum, connected with the old one by a 
bridge over a street." 

" What was there ? " 

" A collection of Egyptian curiosities, deities, 
coins, household utensils, and " 

" Any mummies ? " 

" Yes, plenty of them." 

" What else ? " 

" A mineral museum, an anatomical collec- 
tion, and a zoological collection." 

" You must have had a time! What a pity 
that I have lost the day!" 

" Something else we saw." 

" What ? " 

" When we were walking about, a man, who 
could talk English but imperfectly, came to 
father and said, ' Come here, and for a franc I 
will show you something.' Father gave him the 
franc, and he led us to a little oratory at the end 
of a long room, and drawing aside a curtain, 
showed us a wax figure of Frederick the Great," 

" How was he dressed ? " 

" He had on the same clothes he wore on the 
day he died ; his old sword hangs by his side, 
and he looks just as he did when alive." 

" How do you know ? Did you see him when 
alive ? " asked Minnie, with a quiet smile. 



66 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

Walter bit his lips, and replied, — 

" I can form an opinion as to how he looke* 

" What else did you see ? " 

" Something you would like to have seen." 

"What? Tell me!" 

" The military hat of Napoleon, and severd 
other articles found in his carriage when he re- 
treated from Waterloo. " 

" How did they get to Berlin ? " 

" Blucher took them while pursuing the 
French." 

" Well, what else ? " 

" Several things too numerous to mention, 
among which was a helmet, worn by an elector 
of Brandenburg, weighing twenty pounds ; a 
watch, big as a turnip, and as worthless, once 
owned and carried by Frederick the Great ; and 
many other things." 

A call to dinner broke off the description of 
the day's work that was being given by Walter, 
and Minnie went to the table, declaring that she 
would not be ill again ; for when she was sick, 
and did not go out, the party were sure to see 
something that she wanted to see. 

It would take a long time to tell all our trav- 
ellers saw while they were at Berlin. One day 
they visited the distinguished Baron Humboldt, 
to whom Mr. Percy had letters of introduction, 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 57 

and who received them with much courtesy. 
Another day was taken up by a visit to Pots- 
dam. Potsdam is to Berlin what Hampton 
Court and Windsor Castle are to London, or 
Versailles and St. Cloud to Paris. Here are 
four palaces, and it is the summer residence 
of the royal family. The scenery all around is 
exquisite, and the drive-ways among the finest in 
the world. It is intimately connected with the 
memory of Frederick the Great, who expended 
large sums of money to make it one of the finest 
places on earth. Here are shown to the trav- 
eller the apartments of Frederick the Great, 
just as they were when he was alive, his ink- 
stand all covered with ink, his chair and lounge r 
the mean little truck bed on which he slept, his 
books, and green eye-shade, just as when he laid 
them aside before going out to give up his ac- 
count to God. The king was buried here, in 
the principal church. His plain metallic coffin 
lies above the ground. Once his sword was laid 
upon the coffin, but Napoleon carried it away ; 
and to retaliate, the Prussians have hung the 
tomb with trophies taken by Blucher at Waterloo. 
The morning before the party were to leave 
Berlin, Mr. Percy said, " We have now seen 
about all we can here ; where can we ride to-day 
out of the city ? " 



58 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" I think," answered Mr. Tenant, " that an 
excursion to Charlottenburg would be pleas- 
ant." 

" How far is it, and which way ? " 

" It is out through the Brandenburg gate, 
some few miles in the country." 

u Let us go," said Walter. 

" Yes, let's go," said Minnie. 

So it was decided to go; a carriage was called, 
they all entered it, and soon arrived at the vil- 
lage, which lies on the Spree. Here are several 
palaces and monuments. They were particularly 
interested in the monument to the memory of 
Queen Louisa, a very beautiful but unfortunate 
woman. 

Returning from the country, the party rode 
out to an eminence known as the Kreutzberg, 
where the best view of the city is obtained ; and 
for a while they stood on the hill, at the foot of 
an iron cross, erected as a memorial of the re- 
covery of independence from the French, gazing 
upon the city, as the beams of the sinking sun 
gilded its towers and domes with lines of 
beauty. 

The following morning they started for Dres- 
den. The country through which they rode was 
delightful. The grain was waving in the fields 
and the reapers went singing to their tasks. 



SOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 59 

" What are you thinking about, Mr. Tenant," 
asked Minnie, laying her hand on the shoulder 
of that gentleman, as he sat in silence looking 
out of the window of the car. 

" I was thinking, coz, that this country was a 
paradise for lazy men." 

" Then why don't you get a country seat and 
settle down? 0, forgive me; my tongue went off 
without meaning any thing." 

Mr. Tenant laughed, and pleasantly boxed 
the ears of the chatterbox, while her father 
looked grave. 

" Why is this a paradise for lazy men ? " she 
asked, coaxingly. 

" Because I see, as we ride along, that the 
women do the work in the house and in the 
field, while the men seem to be lounging about 
on the fences, smoking and idling." 

" I have noticed that ever since we have been 
upon the continent," replied Mr. Percy. 

Six hours' ride brought them to Dresden, 
where they were to stop a few days. And pleas- 
ant days they were, spent among the picture gal- 
leries and museums. These are very numerous 
and very rich. The gentlemen thought they 
needed months to see all, while the children were 
content to walk quietly through. What pleased 
them most were the Green Vaults. 



60 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" The green vaults ! what are they ? " asked 
Minnie, as she heard her father speak of visiting 
them. 

" 0, you will see," was the reply. 

" They must be vaults where wine is stored ; 
I don't care about going." 

As they approached the vaults, Mr. Percy 
explained. 

" The green vaults are a suit of rooms in the 
palace." 

" Under ground ? " queried Minnie. 

" No." 

" What is in them ? " 

" They are filled with jewels, that for centuries 
have been collected by Prussian princes." 

" Whew ! " 

They reached the vaults, and paying a fee at 
the door, entered. They found the first vault, or 
apartment, filled with bronze works ; the second 
with curious ivory articles ; the third with Flor- 
entine mosaics and carved works ; and the 
others with precious stones, gold and silver 
trinkets, and rare and costly jewels. The chil- 
dren had seen the crown jewels of England, and 
several rich collections of gold and precious 
stones, but nothing like this. 

" What is that?" asked Minnie of the inspect* 
or, as he held up a gold egg before the party. 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 61 

" That," he said, " is a golden egg sent to a 
Saxon princess by her lover. For a long time 
she did not know its value, nor the purpose for 
which it had been sent. But one day, as she 
thought of her lover, she pressed it to her lips, 
and as she did so touched a secret spring, and 
the egg opened, and out dropped a golden yolk. 
Time rolled on, and by accident another secret 
spring was touched in the yolk, and that opened, 
and out dropped a golden chicken. Another 
spring was found, and the chicken opened, and 
out dropped a golden crown, set with diamonds. 
The crown also had a spring, and when that was 
touched, a marriage ring was found in it." 

" A princely present truly," said Walter, as 
he almost held his breath with wonder. 

" But we have many things more rare than 
that," said the inspector. " There, look at 
that." 

" What is it ? " 

" The court of the Grand Mogul." 

" What does it represent ? " 

" It represents the Emperor Aurengzebe on 
his throne, surrounded by his soldiers and cour- 
tiers." 

" Who made it ? " 

" Dinglingler, a famous artist." 

" How long did it take him ? " 



62 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Eight years." 

" Wasted time," exclaimed Mr. Tenant. 

" No, no ! " replied the inspector, promptly. 

" What did it cost ? " 

" Fifty-eight thousand dollars." 

" ! " exclaimed Minnie, in surprise. 

" After all, it only looks like a child's play 
house," said Walter. 

They then saw huge heaps of silver and gold, 
golden chains and collars, sapphires, emeralds, 
rubies, pearls, and diamonds. As they were 
looking at the rings, the inspector said, — 

" Here are two that belonged to the greatest 
man of Germany." 

" Who was that ? " asked one of the party. 

" Martin Luther." 

" Luther's rings ! " exclaimed both of the 
children at once. 

" Yes, children." 

He handed out one for them to see. It was a 
cornelian, with a rose, and in the centre a cross. 
The other had on it a death's head and motto. 

" This," said the inspector, " was his signet 
ring." 

" What is the motto ? " asked Walter. 

His father read, " Mori scepe cogita" 

" What does that mean ? " 

" Have you not a lexicon in the trunk ? " 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 63 

" Yes, a small one of French and Latin 
words." 

" Well, see if you cannot study out the mean- 
ing of the motto. If you cannot, I will help you. 
The motto is important." 

The party remained in the vaults, wondering 
at every step at the riches they saw piled up 
there, of no use to any one. 

The next day they went on to Prague, arriv- 
ing at that city ahont sunrise. When they left 
the Dresden depot, it was full of people sitting 
around little tables, eating, and drinking, and 
singing, and having a good time in a peculiar 
German way. The morning found them in the 
quiet Bohemian city, looking about for objects 
of interest. 

" Can Walter tell us what there is here worth 
seeing ? " asked Mr. Tenant, as they took a car- 
riage to ride about. 

" There are a convent, a cathedral, and a 
palace." 

" Well, let us be about our work." 

They went to the cathedral, and climbed at once 
to the top of the steeple, from which a grand 
view is obtained. The River Moldau winding 
through the town, spanned by several beautiful 
bridges ; the sixty unique steeples of the place, 
all in view ; the red roofs shining in the summer 



64 THEPERCY FAMILY. 

sun ; and the hills beyond, crowned with fortifi- 
cations, or sheltering neat convents, — form a no- 
ble panorama, and give one a fine idea of the 
Bohemian capital. They went into the cathedral 
as they came down. The most conspicuous ob- 
ject there is the shrine of John of Nepomuk. 

" Who was he ? " asked Minnie, as they stood 
before the shrine. 

" He was the patron saint of Bohemia, and 
came to a violent death." 

" How ? " asked Walter. 

" It is supposed that the queen was faithless 
to her husband, and with her conscience har- 
rowed, discovered her sins to the confessor. The 
king, becoming suspicious, and not knowing 
how to test his doubts, applied to the monk, who 
refused to tell any thing that had been told him. 
The enraged husband had him drowned in the 
Moldau, and he is now revered as a saint and a 
martyr. 

" What are these ? " cried Minnie, who had 
gone on in advance of the group. 

" They are relics of the old times of persecu- 
tion," said the valet-de-place, pointing to a pil- 
ler, chain, ring, and some other instruments of 
torture. 

" How did they use them ? " asked Walter. 

" I will tell you. The ball you see was heated red 



HOW THEY DO IN PRUSSIA. 65 

hot, and put into the hand of a person accused 
of heresy ; if he held it calmly, and did not cry 
out, he was deemed innocent ; if he groaned as 
the hissing iron burnt into the bones, it was a 
sign of his guilt." 

" Horrible ! horrible ! " exclaimed the chil- 
dren. 

They then went to the Church of San Loretto, 
where the monks have accumulated treasures to 
the amount of one million five hundred thousand 
dollars, and to various public buildings, all of 
which have an historic interest ; and left one 
night for Vienna, with pleasant impressions of 
the fine old city of Prague. 
vol. iv. 5 






THE PERCY FAMILY. 



Chapter V. 

THE EMPEROR'S CITY. 

" T\/^ N ' T tlie Austrians iH-treat us, pa," 
▼ » asked Minnie, as they entered Vienna. 

" Ill-treat us ? What makes you think so ? " 

" I have always heard that they were a savage, 
cruel people, and was afraid we should meet 
with trouble." 

" No, little puss, you need not fear that. You 
will be treated as well in Vienna as in Paris. I 
have been told that there is more genuine hospi- 
tality in Austria than in France." 

" Well, then, what makes people always fear 
and hate the Austrians?" 

" I don't know that they always do hate and 
fear them." 

" At any rate, is there not an impression that 
they are barbarous?" 

" Yes." 

" What does it arise from ? " 

" Perhaps from the fact that the government 
here is very despotic." 

" Who is king ? " 



THE EMPEROR'S CITY. 67 

" Austria is an empire, and has an emperor." 

" Who is he ? What is his name ? " 

" Francis Joseph." 

" I have heard," said Walter, " the family 
that occupy the Austrian throne called the 
' house of Hapsburg.' Where did that name 
come from ? " 

" There was a castle standing on the banks of 
the Aar, on a steep rock. It was called Habichts- 
burg." 

" What does that mean ? " asked Minnie. 

" Hawks castle. The name gradually was 
changed to Hapsburg. The owners of the cas- 
tle were called counts of Hapsburg. They were 
warlike, and constantly added to their territory. 
At length one of them, Rodolph, became Em- 
peror of Germany. That was several hundred 
years ago." 

" Then Rodolph founded the Hapsburg line 
of emperors?" 

" Yes." 

"lam glad I know ; I have often asked, but 
no one could tell me." 

Thus conversing, they reached the hotel of 
Archduke Charles, where they were to find a 
home for a few days. They found servants who 
could speak English, and plenty of men who 
wished to show them about the city. But as 



68 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

they had been riding all night, and were very 
weary, they preferred to rest all that day. 

The next was the Sabbath, and after breakfast 
they went out, and wandered into the cathedral, 
an old edifice bnilt in 1144, with a steeple four 
hundred and twenty-eight feet high. As they 
entered, a fine chime of bells were making 
music on the air. 

" Hush, Walter! let us listen," said Minnie, 
stopping. 

" To what ? " 

" To the beautiful bells." 

" Did you ever hear about this chime ? " 
asked Mr. Tenant. 

" No," replied both children. 

" I am told they were cast from one hundred 
and eighty cannon taken in wars." 

" Who from ? " 

" The Turks." 

" Push on, Walter," said his sister; " people 
are looking at us." 

As they entered, they all paused, as the fine 
effect of the interior struck them. The large 
organ was sounding its melodious strains through 
the dim old arches. Thousands of people were 
sitting or kneeling in the body of the church. 
Several gayly robed priests were chanting at the 
altar. Pictures and statues of saints and angels 



THE EMPEROR'S CITY. 69 

frO&OO 

looked down from the wall. The dim religious 
light came stealing through the windows, and 
the whole effect was gorgeous in the extreme. 
Of course they could not understand much of 
the service, and soon retired. Leaving the 
cathedral, they went to some other churches, 
and among them to the Church of the Capucines, 
where lies entombed young Napoleon, Duke of 
Reichstadt. 

" What Napoleon, father? " asked Minnie, as 
they stood in the church. 

" The son of the great emperor." 

" But how came he here? " 

u You know his mother was " 

" Josephine ? " 

" No, dear, but Maria Louisa, eldest daughter 
of the Emperor Francis I. and Maria Theresa. 
When Napoleon abdicated the French throne, 
his queen retired to Austria, and renouncing 
the title of empress for herself, and the heirship 
to the throne for her son, entered upon the 
administration of the little duchy of Parma, 
while the young prince remained in Vienna 
until his death." 

They also went to the Church of St. Augus- 
tine, where they saw a noble monument to the 
Duchess Christiana, by Canova, the death chapel 
of Leopold II., and the Loretto chapel, where 



70 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

the hearts of the emperor's family, and several 
others, are preserved in urns of gold. 

In the evening of the Sabbath they walked 
out together, Mr. Percy with Walter, and Mr. 
Tenant with Minnie. Hardly knowing where 
they went, they got out upon the outskirts of the 
city, and found themselves in the midst of vast 
pleasure grounds, where all kinds of sports were 
being enjoyed by the Sabbath-breaking people. 
There were thousands of persons on the grounds, 
and fandangoes, mimic theatres, wooden horses, 
mock rifle shooting, dancing, singing, and drink- 
ing, were found in all directions. They looked 
on for a few minutes, and then hurried from 
the scene. 

" Children," said Mr. Percy, " what effect did 
this sport have on you ? " 

" I thought it very silly," replied Minnie. 

" I thought it very wicked," said Walter. 

" Did either of you wish to stay and see it ? " 

" No," answered both in one voice. 

" When you see such things going on, do you 
not sometimes wish they were prevalent in 
America ? " 

" father," cried Walter; " when I saw what 
they were doing, I could not help contrasting 
this city with Boston, and this field with Boston 
Common." 



THE EMPEROR'S CITY. 71 

" What were the points of contrast ? " 

" Why, here the Sabbath is being desecrated, 
while, probably, under a tent on Boston Common, 
some minister is preaching." 

" Hity, tity, preaching on the Common ! " 
shouted Minnie. 

" Yes, there is preaching on the Common. " 

" I don't think so ; there is in the churches." 

" A religious association of young men have 
meetings there — don't they, pa ? " 

" I believe they do." 

" Well, that makes the contrast a wide one." 

Just then a heavy clap of thunder broke above 
their heads, and admonished them that they 
should return at once to the hotel. But they 
were two miles away, and they soon found the 
rain beginning to fall. 

" Here is a door open ; let us go in and stay 
until the rain is over," said the little girl, going 
up to a building well lighted. 

" I suppose it is a Catholic church," replied 
Walter, " and we cannot understand a word." 

The gentlemen both laughed. 

" That is a queer church, Walter," said Mr. 
Tenant. 

" Queer ? " 

« Yes." 

" What do you mean ? " 



72 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Archbishop Tillotson once said such churches 
as that were the devil's chapels." 

" What do you mean ? " 

" Why, that is a theatre ; I see now," said 
Walter to Minnie. 

" A theatre open Sunday evening ? " 

" Why not, as well as all that you have seen 
out in the pleasure grounds ? " 

" Sure enough ; let us go on." 

But go as fast as they could, they did not 
reach the hotel until the rain was pouring down 
in torrents. Mr. Tenant had a new hat com- 
pletely drenched, and the children were wet to 
the skin ; and as they entered their rooms, Min- 
nie said, " You look like drowned rats." 

" What do you look like, sis ? " asked Walter. 

" Like a half drowned rat, I suppose." 

The next week was spent in viewing the city, 
which to the stranger is a very fine one. They 
found the people courteous and pleasant, and 
Minnie changed her opinions of the Austrians 
very much. A single fact will illustrate this. 
One day Mr. Percy came in and said to Minnie, 
" My daughter, I have had an instance of cour- 
tesy to-day, such as we should hardly expect to 
meet with at home." 

" What was it?" 

" I wanted to find a banker with whom I had 



THE EMPEROR'S CITY. 78 

some business. I was deceived by a resemblance 
in names, and called on the wrong man. He 
soon saw whom I wanted, and at once endeavored 
to direct me to his place of business. But I 
know so little of the German language that 1 
could not understand him. This he saw, and 
calling a young man, one of his clerks, sent him 
with me to the place." 

" How far was it ? " 

" About a mile." 

" He was very kind." 

" Certainly he was, and I mention the in- 
stance to show you that in this country, that you 
have considered so benighted, the people know 
what belongs to genuine politeness." 

" Would an American banker have been likely 
to have done this for you ? " asked Walter. 

" No, a Wall Street man would have looked 
at my papers, and turned away, abruptly saying, 
6 He don't do business here.' If I had asked 
where the man could be found, he would, per- 
haps, have directed me ; but this Austrian 
banker sent his clerk to show me the way, keep- 
ing him from his work nearly an hour." 

" I shall think better of this people," answered 
the boy. 

« So shall I," replied the girl. 

One day they all went to see the emperor's palace ; 



74 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

and while in the yard the emperor and empress 
came out, and entered the carriage for a drive. 
Thus they had a good view of the youthful pair 
who fill the imperial throne, and who have so 
much trouble within the empire and without it. 
Neither of them was called handsome by Min- 
nie, who claimed to be a judge of such matters ; 
but both were intelligent, interesting persons. 
The emperor was in military costume, and the 
empress in showy silks. The people around 
stared on in a sort of stupid wonder, as the im- 
perial pair rode away. 

" I should not like to be in his boots," said 
Walter. 

" Why not ? " asked his sister. 

" Because his throne is dreadfully insecure." 

" And his funds dreadfully low," added Mr. 
Tenant. 

" Well, if I was in the shoes of the empress, I 
think I would risk the consequences, especially 
if the office was without the encumbrance of the 
emperor," said Minnie. 

A laugh greeted this remark ; and engaged in 
pleasant conversation about the imperial family 
and the condition of the empire, they returned 
to the hotel. 



THE WONDERFUL CAVE. {& 



Chapter v I. 

THE WONDERFUL CAVE. 

CONNECTING Vienna with Trieste is a most 
wonderful railroad. Winding over lofty 
ranges of mountains, with towns and villages in 
the valleys below, shooting through long, dark, 
wet tunnels, hewn out of the solid rocks, it is a 
wonder to every ene who travels over it. This 
was the way ou*? party took when leaving " the 
Emperor's City.'* 

" Three hundred and sixty miles are before 
us," said Mr. Percy, as they took their seats in 
the cars, one morning. 

" Minnie cannot ride so far all at once,'' re 
plied Mr. Tenant. 

" No, indeed." 

" I think we had better break up the ride into 
three parts/' 

" So I was thinking." 

" Then I would suggest that we ride to-day 
as far as Gloggnitz." 

" Why stop there ? " 



76 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Because the cars stop there about the time 
that I think we shall get tired." 

" So be it then." 

When they reached Gloggnitz, they found it 
a small, mean Austrian town, and soon began to 
fear that they had made a bad choice. A mis- 
erable inn in the 'centre of the village provided 
very poor accommodations, and was surrounded 
by a set of brigandish-looking fellows, who ap- 
peared as if they were ready for any bad game. 
However, they were obliged to make the best 
of it, and so went in and called for supper, which 
after a long time came. 

" What is the name of this hotel ? " asked 
Minnie. 

" I don't know," replied her brother. 

He called a maid servant, and tried to ask her 
what the hotel was called, but could not make 
her understand what he wanted. So, leaving 
the table, he ran out, and looked up at the front 
of the wretched-looking building, but could find 
no name any where, and came in, declaring that 
the inn had no name. 

" Let us christen it, Walter." 

" Well, what shall we call it ? " 

" Hardscrabble." 

" No, that would be too bad." 

" Then call it Hungry Hollow." 



THE WONDERFUL CAVE. 77 

" No, I don't like that." 

" Well, then, find a name yourself." 

" I'll name the hotel Bostonia." 

" 0, dear, that would be an insult to Boston." 

" How ? " 

" To call this filthy, dangerous-looking hotel 
after the Athens of America ! " 

" Well, Bostonia it shall be." 

" That is right, Walter; give the town a good 
name ; it may bring up its fare," said Mr. Tenant. 

After supper they went out and walked the 
whole length of the village, and wandered along 
at the base of a mountain, on the side of which 
was a picturesquely situated convent, whose 
evening bells echoed far and wide over the val- 
ley below. At night they fastened their doors 
and windows securely, but were not disturbed. 
The breakfast of the next morning was an im- 
provement on the supper of the evening before ; 
and when they left the town, it was with far 
better impressions than when they entered it. 

They could not fail to admire the railway over 
which they passed. It is an extraordinary 
achievement. It would hardly be a greater ex- 
ploit to build a railroad over the Rocky Moun- 
tains, and constant were the expressions of 
pleasure from the party. At one time they 
were dashing through a dark tunnel, hewn out 



78 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

of the stony heart of the mountain ; then along 
the brink of precipices that made them shudder 
to look down ; then winding around the crags at 
so sharp a curve as to make them cling to the 
sides of the car, in fear that they were going 
over. Walter noted that they went through 
several tunnels, and he inquired the length of 
them, and found them as follows : — 



Length of tunnel at Kresnitz, . 570 feet. 


« a 


Trifair, . . 414 " 


U it 


St. Georgen, 744 " 


a u 


Pollschach, 588 " 


« u 


" 768 " 


u u 


Kranchsfield, 2,100 " 


a u 


Baden, . . 516 " 


« a 


Spital, . . 4,518 " 



10,218 

The train leaps out of one of these tunnels, 
and the traveller finds himself transferred in a 
moment from midnight darkness to broad flash- 
ing daylight, until lie almost begins to believe 
that the prince of darkness has had something 
to do with the construction of the wonderful line. 

While they were wondering at the grandeur 
of the enterprise, they were startled by several 
sudden screams of the locomotive. 



THE WONDERFUL CAVE. 7& 

" What is it, father," cried Minnie, as she 
clung to Mr. Percy's arm. 

" I don't know, my child." 

Again the shrill whistle was heard. The pas- 
sengers leaped to their feet. All knew if there 
was danger there, it might be fearful beyond 
description, and for a moment none knew what 
most to dread . Wives chin g to their h usbands, and 
children to their parents, and some even shrieked 
with fear. But soon the cars stopped, and they 
found that a little child had wandered from a 
distant cottage on the mountains, and had gone 
to sleep upon the track, with the iron rail for its 
pillow. The fearful locomotive with the greatest 
exertion was brought to a giant halt not more 
than six feet from the poor innocent little thing, 
who awoke on finding itself surrounded with 
strange people, and looked upon them with 
smiles, little knowing what a fearful death he 
had just escaped. Many of the passengers got 
out, and among them our party; and Minnie 
took off a coral chain from her own neck, and 
placed it on the neck of the child, as he was in 
the arms of his mother, who had come rushing 
in terror to the spot. 

When they were all seated again, they found 
an English gentleman in their car, who at once 
entered into conversation with them. 



RO THE PEECY FAMILY. 

" Where do you stop to-night ? " he asked. 

" Somewhere between here and Trieste," said 
Mr. Percy ; " but where, we have not con- 
cluded." 

" We thought," added Mr. Tenant, " that we 
should go until we were tired of riding, and then 
stop." 

" You should not," said the gentleman, " pass 
down over this road without stopping at Adels- 
burg." 

" What is there ? " 

" Do you not know ? " 

" No, sir." 

u Why, there is a wonderful cave." 

" A cave ! " 

" Yes, sir, a mammoth, subterranean cavern 
under a mountain, that every traveller should 
see." 

" Do you stop there ? " 

" No, I go on to Trieste ; but I would advise 
you to stop." 

" 0, do, pa," said Minnie, " I want to see the 
cave." 

" So do I," said Walter. 

" Then we will stop there," replied Mr. Percy. 

They found the town an insignificant one, 
the hotel filthy and wretched, and concluded 
that it must be a very fine cavern that could 



TITE WONDERFUL CAVE. 81 

compensate for such annoyances. But the reader 
of Walter's journal, which contained a descrip- 
tion of the cavern, would suppose that he was 
Well repaid. Under the appropriate head he 
wrote, — 

" We visited Adelsburg for the purpose of 
seeing a splendid grotto in the mountain, about 
a mile fro in the town, said to be the grandest 
natural excavation in Europe, if not in the 
world. The Mammoth Cave in Kentucky may 
exceed this in extent, but it can hardly surpass 
it in grandeur and beauty. We penetrate the 
dark bowels of the mountains four miles, and 
pass from one wonderful hall to another, all 
filled with saline formations, rivalling the rain- 
bow in the gorgeousness of tinting, excelling 
the manufactures of men in the delicacy of 
fabrics, and outmastering the artisans of civiliza- 
tion in the statuary which God himself has been 
setting up here for ages on ages past. It was a 
wonderful day that we spent down in the dark 
grotto, where the fish have no eyes, and the 
noise of earth does not penetrate. Here are 
cathedrals, palaces, and prisons, beneath the 
ground, where Solitude, on his crystal throne, 
sits an acknowledged sovereign." 

But we must describe what they saw in that 
famous grotto, for the cavern was wonderful 
VOL. iv. 6 



82 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

An English officer and his wife, who were in 
the dreadful siege of Lucknow, a Spanish mar- 
quis on a visit to Austria, and our party, started 
early in the morning. A walk of a quarter 
of an hour brought them to the foot of the 
mountain. They were accompanied by five men 
who acted as guides. The grotto consists of a 
series of immense caves, stretching for miles 
under the mountains, and the whole forms one 
of the most wonderful natural excavations in the 
world. Every year new caverns are found, new 
passages discovered, leading into deeper and 
wilder scenes. The grotto, as Walter says, is not 
as extensive as the Mammoth Cave, but far more 
sublime and beautiful. The visitor walks down 
a long passage of about three hundred yards, and 
all at once finds himself in a magnificent room, 
with a spacious dome ; all hung with glittering, 
many-colored, ever-varying stalactites and stalag- 
mites. The stalactites are comprised of carbo- 
nate of lime. The water sifting through lime- 
stone, and dripping into the cavern below, 
petrifies, and forms into all kinds of beautiful 
features. Here, in one cavern, which, on account 
of its peculiar form, is called " The Cathedral," 
the formations are very beautiful. In One place 
the water, which has been dripping down and 
petrifying for ages, has formed a long row of 



THE WONDERFUL CAVE. 83 

most beautiful columns, which look as if they 
had been carved out of solid marble. Then 
there are arches regularly turned, as if done by 
a human hand. Then there are sheets of stone, 
like transparent drapery, hung all around, or 
beautiful pendants, like icicles, which hang over 
your head. The cavern is about as large as a 
grand cathedral, and by a winding flight of 
feteps we ascended to the pulpit, formed of the 
stalactites, and very curious and beautiful in its 
construction. Over the pulpit is a vast stone 
sounding board, hung there by nature, weighing 
some tons, and seeming as if about to fall upon 
the heads of those below. The guides lighted up 
this cavern for them to see, and the effect was 
wonderful. The crystalline forms, the hanging 
icicles of stone, the pillars huge and massive, of 
all colors, shades, and hues, made them feel, as 
they stood there, as if they had never seen any 
thing so beautiful. Passing out of the cathedral, 
they went into a number of caverns, stretching 
for miles onward. One of these was called the 
Ball Room, and once a year the people from all 
the region round about come here to have a 
grand hop. The ball room is as large as the 
cathedral, but of different form, and has a noble 
stone floor. When lighted and filled with peo- 
ple, the spectacle must be wonderful. The few 



84 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

OO^OC 

lights they had making an impression upon 
the mind that Walter said he should never for- 
get. Then they came to a vast room several 
times as large as this church, called the Cruci- 
fixion Room. It is thus called because the water 
dripping down has made three crosses, with 
images upon them. The guides climbed up the 
rocky sides of the cavern, and put their torches 
behind the figures, and the party could hardly 
believe that they did not see three images carved 
out by human hands. They could see the 
crosses, the bodies, and the people below. 

Then they entered the Prison ; a room so called 
because here nature has formed cells, with bars 
and grates. The guides ran ahead of them, 
and diving into these cells before they arrived, 
were looking upon them as they entered. As 
they saw them looking through the bars, it was 
hard to believe they were not in some prison, 
deep under the earth, and that these men were 
not real criminals, trying to escape from their 
confinement. 

And all through the series of caverns they saw 
wonderful things. Here the stone had formed 
a most beautiful Madonna and Child ; there, 
was an altar with a white-robed nun kneeling 
before it. There were rows of men, looking, 
at a little distance, as if alive, and houses and 



THE WONDERFUL CAVE. 85 

churches in the distance. These stalactites are 
so nearly transparent that one can almost sea 
through them, and all were so perfect that the 
beholder could hardly believe the human hand 
had not carved them. 

Through the grotto flows a deep, dark river. 
No one knows whence it comes, what the 
name of the water is, or where it goes. Wq 
see the river dashing rapidly on, but cannot tell 
whence it cometh or whither it goeth. There are 
fish in the stream, a sort of an eel, but having 
no eyes. Indeed, in that dark cave they need 
none. Walter regarded the day spent in there, 
beneath the mountains, amid those saline forma- 
tions, as one of the most wonderful of his whole 
tour. 

The party left Adelsburg late in the afternoon 
for Trieste. On the way down, over the same 
wonderful railroad, they had an awful thunder 
storm. The clouds came up suddenly. They 
were high above the little villages that nestled 
in the valleys below. At times nothing could be 
seen in any direction. The lightning flashed 
above and beneath them, and sometimes seemed 
to envoi);) the cars in a sheet of flame. Rain 
and hail thundered on the tops of the hollow 
cars, and the engine went leaping like a mad 
demon into darkness. The effect was awfully 



86 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

sublime ; and after seeing the storm rage half 
an hour, they shot out of it into glorious sun- 
set, where it seemed as if no rain had fallen. 
And soon the party were at Trieste, the port from 
whence they were to proceed to Yenice. 

" This has been a wonderful day," said Wal- 
ter, as they stood on the pier at Trieste. 

" Charming ! " responded Minnie. 

" So you have said, children, a hundred times 
to-day," added Mr. Tenant. 

" Don't you agree with us ? " asked the lad. 

" Yes, exactly ; but we must be on board the 
steamer, or she will be off without us." 

" All aboard ! " 




THE BRIDE OP THE SEA. 87 



Chapter VII. 

THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 

THE round red sun was just rising from his 
bed when the steamer in which our friends 
had embarked at Trieste approached the ancient 
city of Venice, which has well been denominated 
the " Queen of the Adriatic." Scarcely any 
thing could be more beautiful than the scene pre- 
sented ; and it was not long before the passen- 
gers were crowded together in the fore part of 
the vessel, looking upon the unique and singular 
display of palaces, churches, and towers, which 
seemed to rise from the bosom of the sea. 

" Is Venice much like London or Paris, pa ? " 
asked Minnie. 

" No, my child." 

" What is it like ? " 

" It is not like any city we have seen." 

" How does it differ ? " 

" Why, the streets are all water, and the peo- 
ple go out to do their shopping and visiting in 
boats." 

" Pshaw ! you are funning." 



88 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" No, I am not." 

" How can it be so ? " 

" I will tell yon." 

" All water, you say ? " 

« Yes." 

" No carriage ways, and streets with teams ? n 

« No." 

" I don't understand." 

" I see you do not ; but I can enlighten you. 
The city of Venice was built long ago by refugees 
from the main land, who fled to the reeds and 
marshes of the Rialto, and amid the little islands 
built their houses and prepared their homes. 
From the bosom of the wave rose up the great 
city, with its palaces, churches, and towers. At 
first it was a miserable place, but in time became 
one of the most famous cities in the world ; the 
glory of Venetian arms was sounded from Con- 
stantinople to Jerusalem, and the richness of 
her commerce was the wonder of the Archi- 
pelago. From a little city of huts and rushes 
arose a great and magnificent republic, and in 
the sea appeared fine edifices, which far out- 
shone those upon the solid land. Unlike any 
other city on earth, the seat of vast wealth, filled 
with a joyous and pleasure-loving people, it be- 
came, and continued for a while, the most gay 
and delightful city in the world, mocking even 



THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 89 

the splendors of Rome, Florence, and Ferrara. 
Artists and poets here gathered to kindle the 
sacred flame of art, and men of commerce here 
convened to amass princely fortunes. The lov- 
ers of the beautiful and the sublime, the priests 
of religion, the slaves of sensualism, all found in 
Venice congenial pursuits and associates ; and, 
up to this hour, the city is the resort of travel- 
lers from all parts of the world. " 

" It must be a wonderful city." 

" It is. It is built upon seventy-two islands, 
and is connected by three hundred and six 
bridges, scarcely any of which can be crossed by 
a carriage." 

" 0, how funny ! " 

" If we had arrived by land instead of by 
steamer, we " 

" I thought you said there was no land." 

" The city is connected with the main land by 
a long stone railway bridge, and travellers arriv- 
ing by railway, instead of cabs and carriages 
such as we see in France and England, find a 
long line of neat gondolas, each manned, and 
ready to put off into the city." 

The steamer was now near the city, and sur- 
rounded by boatmen in their gondolas, all of 
whom were clamorous to take the passengers to 
the shore. The party entered one of the boats, 



90 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

and were soon gliding swiftly towards the shore. 
"Walter noticed that the boatman, by a skilful 
use of his oar, was enabled to urge his boat for- 
ward with great speed. As they moved on, 
Minnie turned to her brother, and said, — 

" Walter ! " 

" What, sis ? " 

" What do you call this craft — a droskie, 
hey?" 

" A gondola." 

" A pretty name." 

" Yes, and a pretty craft, as you will see by 
looking at that one over there," said Walter, 
pointing to a beautiful boat near them. 

The gondola is a long boat, with very sharp 
bows and stern. A pavilion for passengers is 
in the middle of the boat, and one or two men 
manage the craft with ease. 

" They are all black, Walter ! " 

"I see they are. Father tells me that a long 
time ago the most fantastic colors and decora- 
tions were used, and the greatest extravagance, 
on the part of the boatmen, ensued ; and a law 
was made prohibiting any other color than that 
you see." 

" I should not think government would inter- 
fere with these little boats." 

" It does, just as the city government of 



THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 91 

Boston regulates the coaches that run from the 
depots. These gondolas have an admirable sys- 
tem, if the accounts I have read are true. The 
fares, the number of passengers, and the amount 
of baggage to be carried, are all regulated by 
government, and each gondolier carries his tariff 
of prices in his pocket, or in the saloon of his 
little vessel." 

The boat now touched the landing; and a 
number of porters, taking their baggage on their 
shoulders, marched off with it to a hotel in the 
grand square of San Marco. And now com- 
menced with our travellers a most delightful 
week of day dreaming; for few persons are con- 
scious of being fully awake in this enchanting 
city. 

The morning following the arrival of the party, 
Minnie awoke early, and the first sounds she 
heard, after opening her eyes, were the sweet 
notes of a Venetian song. At first, the little 
girl thought the singer was in the house, but as 
she listened, the sounds seemed wafted up from 
below. She ran to the window, and on looking 
out saw in the canal below a gondola filled with 
flowers and fruit. One part of the boat was like 
a mammoth bouquet, and the air around seemed 
filled with sweet odors ; another part of the boat 
was devoted to fruit, and most tempting was the 



92 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

display made ; and still another part of the boat 
was laden with vegetables, just taken from the 
earth ; and in the midst of the whole, like a 
fairy, was a young girl, with a neat white cap 
upon her head, singing a most captivating song, 
in the pleasant, flowing accents of Italy. 

" Charming ! charming ! I should like to live 
here always," said Minnie to herself. 

" What, in this pond ? " asked her brother, 
who had entered unperceived. 

" Pond ! call this a pond ! Why, I am charmed 
with the city, before I have seen it." 

" Well, cease your admiration, and bid adieu 
to your romantic ideas, and come to breakfast. 
We have been waiting for you some time ;" and 
the lad tripped away, repeating to himself, — 

" Underneath day's azure eyes, 
Ocean's nursling, Venice, lies — 
A peopled labyrinth of walls, 
Amphitrite's destined halls, 
Which her hoary sire now paves 
With his blue and beaming waves." 

After breakfast the party prepared to go out 
and see the place ; but Minnie did not under- 
stand how they were to see much if there were 
no carriages to ride in. Crossing the square 
they entered the cathedral of San Marco, a very 
noted edifice. As they crossed the threshold 



THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 95 

Mr. Percy pointed to a piece of colored marble 
set in the pavement, and told tliem that there 
an arrogant pope set his foot upon the neck of 
the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who knelt 
to do him homage, saying as he did so, " Thus 
I tread upon the pride of kings." They found 
the cathedral unlike any other building they 
had seen. Walter was very much interested ; 
but Minnie declared that she did not care any 
thing about the curious architecture. She was 
most interested in the service which was going 
on, and the robes of the priests, which were very 
gaudy and showy. 

From the church they went to the campanile, 
or bell tower, a large square column, and over 
winding stairs they arrived to the top, and sat 
down among the bells. The view from the 
tower is very fine, and they enjoyed it for a long 
time. 

The next visit was to the doge's palace, and 
to the old prisons, which they reached over the 
famous Bridge of Sighs. The dungeons were 
dark and loathsome, and the children trembled 
as they entered them. They also saw instru- 
ments of torture that were used in past times ; 
and as they looked upon them, Mr. Tenant re- 
lated several tales of barbarity perpetrated in this 
prison, until Minnie asked him to lead her out 
into daylight. 



96 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

In the afternoon, they took a* gondola and 
went out to visit some public buildings. They 
saw an elegant church rising out of the water, 
and on entering found it filled with beau- 
tiful paintings and exquisitely carved statues. 
Minnie caught a large shell-fish on the steps 
as she came out, which she held up, shouting, 
" Here is a crab on his way to church." 

" He will get as much benefit as my little 
wild-brained sister," replied Walter. 

" It is very saucy in you to tell " 

The reply of Minnie was broken off by an un- 
expected occurrence, and she finished with a cry 
of pain, — 

" 0, 0, 0, dear me ! " 

" What is the matter ? " asked Mr. Percy, 
turning back. 

" 0, dear ! take him off, take him off." 

The cause of the trouble was soon ascertained. 
The crab had taken one of the little girl's fingers 
into his open claw, and it was with some diffi- 
culty that he was forced to relinquish his hold. 
Throwing the fish into the water, Mr. Percy 
helped his daughter into the boat, where she hid 
her face for a while behind the drapery of the 
pavilion, watching through the folds the faces of 
her friends. 

" Father," at length she exclaimed. 



THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 07 

" What, my child ? " 

" Walter is making fun of me." 

" How, my dear ? " 

" Why, I see by his face that he is glad that 
that ugly creature bit me." 

Walter laughed ; and to tell the truth, as 
Minnie was not much hurt, he was glad of it, as 
it gave him an opportunity to plague her a little. 
Very soon, however, all this was forgotten in 
the enjoyment they experienced in passing along 
the narrow canals, gliding beneath the bridges, 
or looking upon the stately palaces, once so full 
of mirth, now almost deserted, and going to de- 
cay. They sailed the whole length of the Rialto 
or main canal, which runs through the city 
nearly in the form of an inverted c/9. 

" I don't see," said Walter, " how the people 
live here. There are no lands to cultivate, no 
public manufactures, none of the usual means 
of obtaining a livelihood. I do not see how the 
people live." 

" And I," said Minnie, " do not see where 
the children play. I should think they would 
always be getting into the canals and drowned." 

" People can get used to every thing," an- 
swered Mr. Tenant. " The children get accus- 
tomed to boats just as the children at home get 
accustomed to horses and carriages. Besides, 
VOL. iv. 7 



98 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

they can play at home, and in some of the 
streets that are not composed of water. And if 
Walter lived here, he would find no trouble in 
getting a living. It does not cost much to live 
here, and the people are employed in the manu- 
facture of articles that do not require extensive 
warehouses. These old palaces are occupied 
by people of wealth from other lands, who have 
rented them for a longer or shorter period, and 
the means of living are as " 

Crash, crash, crash ! 

" Look out there, boatman ! " Mr. Percy was 
heard shouting. 

" 0, dear me ! " cried Minnie. 

" Take care," shouted Walter. 

" Danger over," said Mr. Tenant, whose re- 
marks were cut short by the violent contact of 
another boat with that in which our party were 
sailing. The boatmen of the two gondolas now 
began reproaching each other, gesticulating 
very violently, and for a time it seemed as if a 
serious difficulty was liable to occur ; but Mr. 
Tenant, with a great deal of firmness, took his 
own gondolier by the arm and ordered him to 
proceed, which, with many smothered curses, 
he did. 

Our party remained in Venice a week. The 
days were spent mostly in the galleries of art, 



THE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 99 

and the evenings in roaming over the waters, 
along the canals, and sometimes out miles into 
the Adriatic. The evening entertainment was 
very novel, and pleased Minnie very much ; and 
she often declared, as she floated out at night, 
she could not make the city appear like a reality. 
The gondolas lighted with lanterns of many 
colors, the pavilions filled with gay, happy men 
and women, whose songs echoed far and wide 
over the waves, made the whole seem like en- 
chantment, rather than reality. 




100 THE PERCY FAMILY. 



Chapter VIII. 

CITY OF ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 

" TT is so curious," said Minnie, as she stepped 

-■- into a gondola. 

" What is so curious ? " asked Walter. 

" Why, to take a boat to go to the railroad 
depot." 

" It is funny. When I went to the hotel 
keeper and asked him about the best ways of 
getting to the depot, he told me that the omni- 
bus would start in season to get us there, and 
that it would take us at lower fare than we could 
get carried for otherwise." 

" Omnibus, did he say ? " 

" Yes." 

" Well, where is it ? " 

" He meant the boat we are in." 

" A pretty omnibus, truly ! " 

But it took our travellers to the station, and 
they were soon on board the cars for Verona, at 
which place they arrived at midnight. They 
rode a long distance in an omnibus, and reached 
a hotel, and after a great deal of knocking and 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 101 

thumping to arouse the inmates, at length a 
porter appeared and let them in, grumbling and 
scolding that he should be called up at so late 
an hour. 

There is not much to amuse the stranger in 
Verona, and our friends saw all they wished to 
in a single day. Walter was interested in the 
ruins of a noble amphitheatre, with its stone 
steps rising one upon another, sufficient to seat 
twenty thousand persons. 

" What did they use this amphitheatre for ? " 
he asked of his father. 

" Probably for gladiatorial exhibitions ; and 
the pavement you see before you was doubtless 
often wet with blood." 

" With human blood ? " 

" Most likely." 

" Was it not very cruel in the ancients to 
make men fight with wild beasts ? " 

" Certainly it was ; and we may be thankful 
to God that these days have gone by." 

" How did they get the beasts into the vacant 
spot ? What clo you call it ? " asked Minnie. 

" The arena." 

" Yes." 

" I will show you," replied Mr. Percy ; and he 
took the children down into the cells under the 
walls, where were doors and gates leading into 



102 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

the arena, and dungeons for prisoners, and strong 
apartments for the bloody monsters who, goaded 
to madness by hunger, were ready to tear the 
flesh of their victims. 

" This structure," said the father to his chil- 
dren, " gives you a very fine idea of the mam- 
moth amphitheatres erected by the ancients for 
theatrical and gladiatorial purposes." 

" Shall we see any other besides this ? " asked 
Walter. 

" 0, yes; you know we shall see the Colosseum 
at Rome, which is larger and grander than this. 
We shall also see one or two others ; but what 
state of preservation they are in, I cannot 
tell." 

" There is one thing we must see while we are 
here," said Mr. Tenant, as they entered the 
carriage. 

" What is it ? " asked the children in one 
breath. 

"The tomb of Juliet." 

"Who was she ? " asked Minnie. 

" One of Shakspeare's characters, about whom 
Walter will tell you." 

" Driver," said he to that personage, " do you 
know where the tomb of Juliet is ? " 

The driver shook his head. 

" The tomb of Juliet," repeated Mr. Tenant. 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 103 

" No comprehend," was all the answer that 
could be obtained. 

The information was found elsewhere, and the 
party were soon carried to what purports to be 
the tomb of the heroine. They entered a nar- 
row passage, in which a man was washing the 
dirty wheels of a carriage, and where were sev- 
eral horses, which nearly trampled them as they 
passed on, and knocked at a rude door, which 
was opened by a woman with a child in her 
arms. She was an Italian woman, with a dark 
skin, coal-black eyes, piercing and glistening, 
and a form as graceful as a sibyl. Giving her 
babe to another, she conducted them through 
a stable into a garden. They passed along un- 
der a heavy overhanging grape vine, well hung 
with unripe fruit, to a little chapel, once used 
for devotional purposes, and in which a tolerable 
fresco of the crucifixion still remains. Here, in 
this chapel, which is now used for dovecot and 
hencoop, a stone tub was pointed out as the 
veritable coffin of Juliet. The hole left as a 
breathing place was pointed out. Visitors have 
broken off pieces of the marble, and carried it 
away, 

" Do you believe that this is the tomb of Ju- 
liet ? " asked Miunie of her father. 

" No." 



104 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Do you believe there ever was a real Juliet? " 
asked Walter. 

" No ; but it answers the same purpose to give 
these poor people a few pence for opening the 
gate." 

" I must get a piece of this stone tub," said 
Walter to himself, as he took up a stone to break 
off a piece. 

" Ah, no ! no ! ! no ! ! ! " cried the woman. 

Walter pulled out his purse and offered her 
money. He had found, almost every where, that 
a golden bribe would soften the heart of almost 
any official character, and he supposed this 
woman would yield at once. But she was in- 
exorable. 

" No possible — no possible ! " she said. 

He then tried to coax her a little, and with fair 
compliments secure a piece of the marble ; but 
though her reply to his persuasions was less indig- 
nant than before, it was no less firmly given : — 

" No possible — no possible ! " 

Having " done up Verona," as Walter said, 
they then went back some miles to a station on 
the railroad by which they came, and took a dili- 
gence for Florence. 

u What is a diligence ? " asked Minnie, while 
on her way to the booking office. 

A sort of stage or omnibus, in which the 



u 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 105 

people of this country, where railroads are few, 
usually travel," replied her father. 

As the young reader has never seen a dili- 
gence, a description of one may not be uninter- 
esting, and we give it in nearly the words we 
find in Walter's journal. He there says, "The 
diligence itself is a long, cumbersome vehicle, 
like an omnibus, and would not be tolerated in 
Yankeeland a half hour. It is divided into dif- 
ferent compartments. The cabriolet is an open 
sort of a chaise on top ; the coupe is the forward 
apartment, will hold four or five persons, and is 
considered as the best place for observation and 
ease ; the inlerno, or interior, is an apartment 
with two seats opposite, like those in a coach, 
and is in the middle ; while below is the rotunda, 
with two seats opposite, on the sides, like those 
of an omnibus. These seats will hold two, three, 
or four persons, according to the size of the vehi- 
cle. The baggage is put upon the top of the 
crazy carriage, and is liable every moment to 
fall through on to your head." 

" Mercy ! have we got to ride in that ? " cried 
Minnie, as she saw it. 

" Yes ; why not, sis ? " asked her brother. 

" It will break down." 

" I guess not." 

" It looks like an ox team ; what did you call 
it?" 



106 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" A diligence ! " 

" You will find that thing to be a dilatory, 1 
tell you." 

A man now led forward four horses, at which 
Minnie exclaimed, " See those skeletons that 
are to draw us." 

" Skeletons ? " 

" Yes ; those four horses, as lean and lank as 
Pharaoh's lean kine, and as hungry, too. And 
the harness is partly of leather, and partly of 
rope, rotten as twine, and as clumsy as a bed 
cord.' 1 

" You are sarcastic, sis." 

" Who could help being, at such a contrivance 
as this ? " 

" You had better wait, and see what kind of 
riding the diligence gives us." 

" The dilatory, you mean ! " 

The gentlemen had been engaged a moment 
in looking about for their baggage, when they 
heard Minnie call to Walter. 

" Bub ! bub ! look at that funny little chap." 

" Where ? " 

" Standing in the doorway of the office." 

Walter looked, and saw a small man, with a 
patent leather hat, with a steeple crown, on his 
head, an old-fashioned faded military coat on 
his back, a tin horn under one arm, and a mon- 
strous whip in his hand. 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 107 

« Who is he, Walter ? " 

" I don't know." 

" Who do you take him to be ? " 

" I take him to be the Napoleon of this vehi- 
cle." 

" Hum ! satisfactory answer, I think." 

Then, turning to Mr. Tenant, she asked, — 

" Who is that pompous little fellow, with a 
military coat on, standing like a major on the 
steps ? " 

" 0, that is the postilion," replied the gentle- 
man. 

" And what does he do ? " 

" He rides the forward horse." 

" What for ? " 

" 0, it is the custom." 

The horses were harnessed, and the diligence 
all ready. It was arranged that Mr. Tenant 
and Walter should occupy the cabriolet, while 
Mr. Percy and his daughter took the coupe*. 
And sotheyjourneyed on, about six miles an hour, 
for two or three days, stopping on the way to 
see the places of interest. Among these were 
Ferrara and Bologna. In the former place they 
saw the prison of Tasso, a little cell twenty feet 
long and_ ten feet wide, where he was imprisoned 
by the duke for aspiring to the hand of his sister, 
the beautiful Eleanora \ and on the wall Walter 



108 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

found tlie name of Byron, engraved there by 
himself. Mr. Percy told the children who Tasso 
was, and Mr. Tenant repeated those touching 
lines of his, written while imprisoned by the 
cruel Alphonso, in which he asks, — 

" Am I, a living, breathing corpse, interred, 
To go not forth till prisoned in my bier ? " 

They also went to the house of Ariosto, in 
which they found his room just as he left it. 
The chair on which he sat, the table at which 
he wrote, and the very inkstand which he used 
remain. His tomb is in the Church of the Bene- 
dictines, and over it yet stands the lightning- 
riven bust, and is visited by many who have read 
and admired his writings. 

At Bologna, which Walter called the " Sau- 
sage City," they saw two leaning towers. They 
are huge rude columns ; the highest rises three 
hundred and sixteen feet, and inclines several 
feet. This inclination was caused by the settling 
of the ground in time of an earthquake. In one 
of the churches they found the tomb of St. 
Dominic, the founder of the Inquisition, who 
sleeps here, while the world curses his memory ; 
also the tomb of the great painter Guido, and 
several others of much eminence. 

At length they arrived at Florence, and were 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 109 

driven through streets crowded with people and 
decked with flowers, to the hotel. 

" We are fortunate," said Mr. Tenant, a few 
minutes after their arrival. 

" Why so? " asked Mr. Percy, who was unstrap- 
ping his trunk. 

" Because this is San Victoria's day, and great 
celebrations are taking place. So the keeper of 
the house tells me." 

" That is good," cried Minnie. " I have been 
cooped up in the dilatory so long that I want 
some fun." 

" You don't know as you will get it," an- 
swered her brother. 

" What is the fun to consist of, Mr. Tenant?" 
queried Minnie. 

" They have some ceremonies all day, and 
we have reached here in season to see the finale." 

" And what is that ? " 

" A horse-race." 

" Pho ! I don't want to see that." 

" Don't ? " 

" No, I am sure I don't." 

" It is not such a sort of horse-races as you 
have heard of." 

" Is there more than one kind of horse-race?" 

" There seems to be a new kind here." 

" What is it f " 



110 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Three horses are painted and lettered, and 
let loose in the public streets. So they tell me." 

" Nonsense." 

" Perhaps so ; yet that is the sport of this 
afternoon." 

An hour or two after the people began to as- 
semble, and soon crowded the thoroughfares and 
windows all along the race course by thousands; 
military men were parading up and down ; and 
for two hours the children gazed from the win- 
dow of the hotel upon an array of beauty, fash- 
ion, pride, pomp, and vanity such as they had 
never seen before. The houses all along were 
waving with drapery, which was suspended from 
the windows, and every thing gave evidence that 
some gay event was about to transpire. 

" I wish they would come," cried Minnie. 

" So do I," answered Walter. 

At length a cry was heard, the people fell 
back on both sides, and soon the horses came on, — 
the little creatures all spotted with paint, — and in 
a moment were out of sight. From the window 
of the hotel they looked much like large wharf 
rats leaping by, and sending their heels into the 
faces of the crowds of people who lined the 
streets on both sides. 

" Well, Min, what do you think of that ? " 
asked Mr. Tenant. 



ARTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. Ill 

" It is a humbug." 

" It reminds me," said Walter, " of the exhi- 
bition of ' three blind mice.' " 

The next day they went out, and no city, since 
leaving Paris, pleased Minnie so much as this. 
She was particularly pleased with the flower 
girls, whose arms were full of beautiful bouquets, 
which they were ready to sell for whatever any 
one would pay for them. 

Walter was very anxious to see the artists, 
and he persuaded the gentlemen to take him 
again and again to the studios. He seemed to 
feel an awe as he entered the little apartment 
where Powers modelled Eve and the Greek Slave, 
and where his workmen were still engaged on 
marble forms that were constantly developing 
new beauties. At GreenougrTs he met several 
American gentlemen, who answered many ques- 
tions in relation to sculpture and other branches 
of art. One day, when he came home from the 
studio of Pampaloni, whither he had gone alone, 
he said to Minnie, — 

" Don't you remember a plaster image over 
the library in our Sunday school ? " 

" Yes." 

"What is it?" 

" You know." 

"Well, do you know?" 



112 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Yes, it is little Samuel kneeling in prayer." 

" You know they are very common." 

" Yes, almost every Italian image seller has 
them. But what of it ?" 

"Just this — I have seen the original. Pam- 
paloni, to whose studio I have been, designed 
that, cast it in plaster, and then carved it in 
marble." 

" And all that we see are copies." 

" Yes." 

" Did you see Pampaloni, who made it ? " 

"No, he is dead; but his son inherits his 
genius." 

One day they rode out, and as they went, Mr. 
Tenant directed the driver to take them to Santa 
Croce. 

" Santa Croce ! " said Minnie ; " what is that ? " 

" A church, Min," said Walter. 

" A church, hey ? " 

" Yes ; Santa Croce, erected six hundred 
years ago, is to Florence what Westminster 
Abbey is to London — the charnel of its illustri- 
ous dead. So I read in the guide books." 

When they reached the edifice, they found it 
filled with many monuments, among which is, 
in a most conspicuous position, the grand sar- 
cophagus of Michael Angelo, the world's great 
artist. The sister arts, Painting, Sculpture, and 




THE CAMPANILE, FLORE NC 



ABTISTS AND FLOWER GIRLS. 115 

Architecture, are weeping over the tomb, while 
surmounting them is a statue of the great man 
himself. The spot where he sleeps was selected, 
and the manner of his burial was described, by 
the artist himself, who wished his resting place 
to be within sight of the cathedral, on whose 
spacious dome he loved to gaze in life. They 
also saw the monuments of Dante, Alfieri, and 
Galileo. 

It would take a long time to tell all the chil- 
dren saw in Florence, or Firrnze,Bjs the Italians 
spell it. One or two funeral processions they 
met in the street, one or two masses they saw 
solemnized in the churches, visits they made to 
the cathedral, many times they climbed up into 
the bell tower, excursions they took out into the 
country, and so much pleasure did they secure, 
that Minnie declared she could not tell which 
city she liked best, Florence or Paris. Walter 
thought that when he became a man, and had 
money of his. own to spend, and time enough at 
his command, he would come and live a year in 
Florence. 

So it is, that we often make plans in childhood 
that are never realized in manhood ; we antici- 
pate pleasures that we never secure. With this 
reflection we leave Walter dreaming in the city 
of flower girls and artists. 



116 THE PERCY FAMILY. 



Chapter IX. 

FIRST VIEWS OF ROME. 

AS the lumbering diligence rolled towards 
Rome, the interest of the party increased. 
Minnie, who had her seat in the coupe, often 
called to her brother, — 

" Walter, do you see any thing ? " 
" Not yet," was his reply as often to her im- 
patient questions. Still the vehicle rolled heavily 
onward, the cracking whip was heard, and the 
eager expectation of the company manifested it- 
self in vain endeavors to catch some outline of 
the Eternal City. 

" There it is ! " at length Walter exclaimed, 
and looking forward they all saw the dome of 
St. Peter's, like a huge bank resting against the 
sky. The interest was now most lively, and as 
the distance to the city was diminished every 
minute, all feeling of fatigue, and all sense of 
weariness were forgotten, and soon they were 
beneath the walls. After an examination by 
custom-house officials, they passed through the 
Porta Cavalleggieri, — where the French suffered 



FIRST VIEWS OF ROME. 117 

so dreadfully in their attack on the city several 
years ago, and at which they entered with the 
most terrible loss, — leaving St. Peter's to the 
left, rolling down the hill, across the Pons ^Elius, 
under the very shadow of the Castle of St. An- 
gelo, over which the Roman flag was flying, but 
beneath which French soldiers were leaning on 
their arms, the masters of the city, and the rulers 
of the pope himself. 

And from that time commenced a most pleas- 
ant residence in Rome, which was protracted to 
months, all of which were filled up with interest 
and profit. 

" I have heard," said Walter, one day, " Rome 
called the ' City of Seven Hills.' Why is that ? " 

" Because," replied his father, " Rome is lo- 
cated in the midst of the great Roman Campagna, 
on seven hills. The Tiber divides it, and flows 
in its sluggish course through its very midst. 
The best view is obtained from the tower of the 
Capitol, on the Capitoline Hill, from which the 
other six, the Quirinal, the Viminal, the Pala- 
tine, the Aventine, the Esquiline, and the Cselian, 
are all in view." 

" How many inhabitants are there in Rome ? " 

" The number of inhabitants at the present 
time is only one hundred and fifty thousand, or 
less than the number of the inhabitants of Boston. 



118 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

Of this limited number, some fifty or sixty 
are cardinals, twenty-three are bishops, sixteen 
hundred and thirty-nine are priests, twenty-six 
hundred and twelve are monks, fifteen hundred 
and fifty are nuns, and eight thousand are Jews, 
who live in a quarter of the city appropriated to 
themselves." 

" What is the government ? Who is the 
head ? " 

" The government is a medley of religion and 
politics, the pope being alike at the head of 
church and state." 

" You have often told us of the view obtained 
of the city from the Capitol — can we not go and 
get that view soon ? " 

" Yes, to-day, if Mr. Tenant finds it conven- 
ient." 

That gentleman, on being consulted, declared 
that nothing could please him better ; and so it 
was resolved to visit the Capitol. They took a 
carriage, and employed a valet de place to point 
out to them the objects of interest. They soon 
arrived, and passing up the hill, by the old mile 
post of Vespasian, Mr. Percy pointed out to his 
children the bronze horse, — from which, on 
festive occasions long agone, water ran from one 
nostril and wine from the other, — and various 
other statues of merit and celebrity, in all of 



FIRST VIEW OF ROME. 119 

which they were much interested. When they 
entered the building, which is a very fine one, 
they saw many things which pleased them. 

" See that iron cat," said Minnie. 

" Where ? " asked her brother. 

" There ! " she said, pointing to a metallic 
beast which seemed to draw much attention. 

" I know what that is," replied Walter. 

"What is it?" 

" It is the famous bronze wolf; " and then tlie 
kind-hearted little lad told his sister the story 
of Romulus, the founder of the city, who, when 
deserted by natural parents, was suckled by a 
wolf. 

" And what is that? " she asked, pointing to 
the statue of the dying gladiator. 

Walter told her, and repeated some lines he 
had committed to memory, written in descrip- 
tion of this remarkable work of art, and Minnie 
declared them wonderfully just. 

When they had seen the inside of the edifice, 
they went up to the top of the tower, which is 
surmounted by a colossal image holding a cross. 
Walter climbed up, and stood where few persons 
stand, holding himself by the cross. From this 
high point the view was a fine one, and for hours 
they enjoyed it. 

" Now, pa," said Minnie, " describe the vari- 



120 THE PERCY FAMILT. 

ous objects, point out the localities, that we may 
fix them in our minds." 

Walter came down from his high and some- 
what dangerous elevation, and sat down at his 
father's feet, while the little girl stood looking 
into his face as he made the following state- 
ment : — 

" The Capitol seems to divide what are called 
the old and the new cities. We look out from 
the elevation in one direction, and at our feet is 
the old Roman Forum, stretching away from the 
slope of the hill to the Palatine ; conspicuously 
in front are the ruins of the old Temple of Sat- 
urn and the House of Concord ; the Arch of 
Septimius Severus, in a good state of preserva- 
tion, and covered with bass-reliefs ; 

* The nameless column, with a buried base ; ' 

the pillars of the Temples of Minerva and Romu- 
lus ; the winding Via Sacra, the favorite walk 
of Horace, the world-renowned Way, trod by 
emperors, warriors, and priests ; the old Colise- 
um, looking like some gigantic citadel, covered 
with the moss of ages, and gazing down with 
frowns upon the surrounding city ; the Arch of 
Titus, with bass-reliefs representing the conquer- 
or's return from Jerusalem, bringing with him 
the consecrated vessels of the Jewish temple ; 



FIRST VIEWS OP ROME. 121 

and numberless other relics of the dead and 
buried past." 

These various objects Mr. Percy pointed out, 
giving historical facts calculated to fix in the 
minds of the children what they had seen. 

" You spoke," said Minnie, of ' a nameless 
column, with a buried base ' ! " 

" Yes." 

" What did you mean by that ? " 

" The quotation is from Byron, who thus speaks 
of a beautiful column which you see yonder. 
The base is buried, and it was not known when 
he wrote what it was erected for, or what name 
it bore." 

" Is it now known ? " 

" Yes; since he wrote, the history of the pillar 
has been discovered, and when we descend I will 
tell you all that is known about it." 

" Now, father, what do we see in the other 
direction ? " 

" There the new city lies before you." 

" Yes." 

" You see the Corso." 

" What is that ? " 

" The long street you see filled with people." 

" What else ? " 

" Why, the River Tiber, winding its way upon 
its noiseless course ; the domes of churches and 



122 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

the roofs of convents ; and, back of all, the form 
of St. Peter's, rising in its vast proportions and 
beautiful architecture, while all around is 
stretched the desolate Campagna, like a plain 
of death, thick with malaria and contagion." 

" And I," said Walter, " have been looking 
over to the distant mountains, whose sides are 
adorned with villas, vineyards, and tombs." 

" Ah, Walter, you never expected to witness 
this grand spectacle," remarked Mr. Tenant. 

" No, sir, indeed I did not ; and it seems 
hardly real that I can be in Rome now, and on 
the top of the Capitol. It seems like a dream ; 
and ever since I have been here I have been 
saying to myself, — 

' Ah, little thought I, when in school I sat, 
A schoolboy on his bench, in early dawn, 
Glowing with Roman story, I should live 
To tread the Appian .... 

.... or climb the Palatine, 
Long while the seat of Rome ! ' " 

" Bah ! what are you but a schoolboy now ? " 
cried Minnie, who had been looking in another 
direction. 

" What a plague you are, Min ! " 

" How do I plague you ? " 

" Why, I cannot quote a line of poetry, or dc 
any thing else, but you have something to say." 



FIRST VIEWS OP ROME. 123 

" What was my tongue given me for ? " 

" Not to ridicule." 

" Well, never mind, Walter, I'll stop." 

"Until next time!" slyly suggested Mr. 
Tenant. 

It would take much time to tell all our trav- 
ellers saw, and where they went that winter. 
Walter wrote home to his mother that they had 
seen acres of pictures, continents of churches, 
armies of beggars, and swarms of monks. He 
gave her a particular description of some of the 
churches ; among the rest, St. John Latcran, 
which, he told her, was the first Christian church, 
built by Constantine in the fourth century. He 
told her, what may well be doubted, that the 
emperor, day after day, until it was finished, 
worked on it with his own hands like a slave. 
He also described the baptistery in which Rienzi 
bathed, on the night before his death, to show 
his contempt of sacred things. 

Walter also sent to Charlie a description of 
one church he saw, which the little fellow took 
all over the neighborhood and read to his young 
friends. This church, he wrote to his brother, 
has deep vaults which are filled up as a burial 
ground. The earth in it was brought from Jeru- 
salem, and is held sacred by the monks. The 
vaults consist of an aisle and six little chapels, 



124 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

or niches, about ten feet wide, eight feet high, 
and six feet deep. These chapels are arched, 
and resemble niches in a wall. When a monk 
dies, he is buried here, and is allowed to rest 
beneath the ground a while, when he is unbu- 
ried, clad in the very same habit which he wore 
in life, and laid out in state a while, when the 
bones are taken to pieces and scraped. They 
are then piled up in fantastic order. These 
vaults, on entering them, have a most singular 
effect. The arches are all lined with bones ; 
skulls are laid up in piles ; while the small bones 
are formed into crosses on the walls, and even 
the chandeliers in which hang the lamps which 
illuminate the aisle are of parts of the human 
body, tastefully framed together. Skeletons sit 
astride piles of skulls, or hang suspended from 
the wall, while hands and feet, long and bony, 
reach out in every direction. 

It seemed as if Walter never would tire of 
seeing the ancient buildings, that link this with 
a former age. One day the party all vibited the 
Pantheon. 

" What did you come to this old place for ? " 
asked Minnie. 

" Because it is an old place," answered Wal- 
ter. 

" If you had an eye to architectural beauties 



FIRST VIEWS OF ROME. 125 

you would not ask the question, niy child," said 
Mr. Percy. 

" How old is this church — a thousand years? ' 3 
asked Minnie. 

" Yes, more than that," replied her father. 

" When was it built ? " 

" Twenty-six years before Christ." 

" Is it possible ? " 

" Not only possible, but certain." 

" Built before the angels sang on the plains 
of Bethlehem," said Minnie to herself. 

" Yes," replied her father ; " it is the oldest 
building, in a state of preservation, in the world. 
Some of the old ruins of Rome date farther back 
than this. But they are fallen, and have become 
a pile of ruins. But this stands, and I see no 
reason why it may not stand eighteen hundred 
years longer." 

Several other ancient edifices, still in a state 
of preservation, were seen, each with a long and 
eventful history. The children became ac- 
quainted with two Capuchin monks, who, having 
time to spare, took them to many places that 
otherwise would have been overlooked. Mr. 
Percy allowed them sometimes, in company with 
himself or Mr. Tenant, to visit the monks at their 
convent ; but both of them were so much dis- 
gusted with the cloisters that they did not wish 



126 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

to go often. Walter described the monks, in a 
letter to friends at home, to be a most self-deny- 
ing class. He wrote that their cells are about 
six feet square. The monk sleeps on a hard 
board ; no bed, no mattress ; a single woollen 
covering only keeping the rough wood from a 
contact with the body of the sleeper. A rough 
table, a bench, or chair, compose the furniture 
of the room. To quote his own words, " We 
saw one day on the table, in the cell of Father 
Francis, or Giacomo Foscari, as his real name 
was, a loaf of bread, some burnt coffee, and, on 
a little shelf, a few books. The friars of this 
order wear a woollen habit, no stockings, vest, 
nor under clothing of any description. They 
eat little meat, and live by charity, and their 
reputation for sanctity is very high. They are 
of all ages, from the young man just entering 
life to the old man in his dotage." Walter 
could not endure the idea that while millions of 
money were expended on churches, these monks 
should have such scanty fare, and live in such 
poverty. 



PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 127 



Chapter X. 

PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 

ALMOST the first place the stranger visits in 
Rome is the Cathedral of St. Peter. That 
huge edifice seems to be the centre of attraction. 
The art-glories of the Vatican, the memorials of 
fallen pride that gather in the Roman Forum, 
the sovereign pontiff himself, are not so remark- 
able as the grand pile in which the religion of 
half the civilized world is enshrined. 

" To-day we go to St. Peter's," said Walter 
to his sister, one morning as they were waiting 
on the steps of the hotel for the gentlemen who 
were somewhat tardy in making their appear- 
ance. 

" Good ; I wonder we have not gone there 
before." 

" I wish father would come." 

" I am coming," said Mr. Percy, making hi& 
appearance, and soon after Mr. Tenant was on 
hand. 

They walked slowly towards the Cathedral ; 
and as they passed from street to street, the 



128 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

conversation turned upon the edifice they were 
about to visit. 

" Father," said Walter, " can you tell me any 
thing about St. Peter's." 

" Any thing about it! What do you mean?" 

" Yes, about its origin and history." 

" Ah, yes." 

" Tlien you will find me a listener." 

" As to the origin of the Cathedral, I can soon 
tell you all I know. It is supposed to stand 
on or near the spot where the apostle, for 
whom it is named, was buried." 

" Supposed ? " 

" Yes ; for many have doubted whether Peter 
ever was at Rome." 

" Is there no way of finding out ? " 

" I know of none. All these things are matters 
of very vague and indefinite tradition." 

" Well, what about the erection of the 
church ? " 

" It was at first an insignificant little chapel, 
which had more the appearance of a tomb than 
a temple. In the time of Constantine, this little 
structure was removed, and a fine church built 
on the spot, which, in its turn, gave place to the 
magnificent Cathedral." 

" Do you know what it cost, and how long it 
took to finish it ? " 



PILGRIMAGE TO ST. 

" It required more than three centuries to 
complete it ; forty-three popes gave it their time 
and attention, and when finished, seventy mil- 
lions of dollars had been expended upon it. It 
covers between five and six acres, and is kept in 
repair at an expense of about thirty thousand 
dollars annually." 

" Walter," asked Minnie, " how many square 
feet are there in the number of acres father 
named ? " 

" About two hundred and forty thousand 
square feet, as near as I can calculate." 

The young reader will figure it out, and see 
how near Walter came to it. 

The party now approached the edifice, and 
stood looking upon its noble exterior. 

The best idea of the building will be obtained 
if you imagine an immense circular area enclosed 
with the finest colonnade in the world, the front 
open, and the rear filled up by the Cathedral. 
In this area two fine fountains are ever playing, 
and between them a column, surmounted by a 
cross, rises to the height of a hundred feet. The 
colonnades are formed by two hundred and 
eighty-four columns, sixty feet high, covered 
with spacious galleries. These form a magnifi- 
cent entrance to the church, bending around 
the visitor as he advances, impressing him with 
VOL. iv. 9 



130 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

an idea of strength and dignity. The front of 
the church is somewhat marred by a fac,ade, 
which hides the proportions of the building, and 
but poorly compares with the architectural de- 
sign of the monstrous dome. Passing between 
marble figures of Peter and Paul, we enter the 
church, and pause, almost overpowered with the 
effect produced. The colossal statues, the 
vaulted roof, the spacious aisles, the hurrying 
priests, and the wonderful dome, all produce in 
the mind a feeling of awful sublimity. 

The first emotion of awe being over, our party 
began to look about. They found the service 
being performed in different parts of the build- 
ing, in different dialects ; they saw multitudes 
of men and women walking about or kneeling 
on the floor ; they saw the grand altar, beneath 
the dome, and heard the music from sounding 
organs and harmonious choirs. 

As they walked about, Walter asked, " What 
image is that ? " 

They all looked, and Minnie cried out, — 

" I declare ! " 

" You do ! what do you declare ? " asked her 
father. 

" Why, they are kissing it ! " 

" So they are," said Walter. 

" What is it, pa ? " 



PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 131 

" It is a bronze statue that is here reverenced 
as that of Peter." 

" Where did it come from ? " 

" It was found among the ruins of old Rome, 
and is supposed to have been an image of Jupiter. 
One of the popes put it here, and thousands come 
and offer it their homage." 

They walked up to it, and found the great 
toe of one foot, which was extended, worn down 
flat. 

" What has done that ? " Minnie asked. 

" It has been kissed away." 

" Kissed away ? " queried Walter, in surprise. 

" Yes, by pilgrims and devotees." 

" What simpletons, to kiss a bronze toe ! " 

" Mr. Tenant," said Minnie. 

" What, my child ? " 

" Hold me up." 

" What for ? " 

" I want to kiss that toe." 

" Nonsense ! " exclaimed Walter. 

" When you are with the Romans, do as Ro- 
mans do ! " answered the child. 

Mr. Tenant lifted her up, and she kissed the 
toe ; and when she had performed the act, Wal- 
ter, with a laugh, inquired if she felt any better. 

" I don't get," said Walter to his father, " an 
idea of the vastness of this building." 



132 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" No, you do not, because the whole edifice is 
so well proportioned that you do not perceive 
the vast size." 

" Is that it ? " 

" Yes ; you notice those marble figures near 
the door ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, they are several times larger than life, 
and yet they look like babes." 

" But the dome does not look so high." 

" No, there is great deception there also." 

" The Cathedral does not appear much larger 
than some churches I have seen at home." 

" Yet you could put a dozen churches like the 
Old South in here, and have room then for thou- 
sands of people. And if you should put Park 
Street Spire upon the top of Bunker Hill Monu- 
ment, it would but reach the dome in the 
centre." 

" Wonderful ! " 

" Truly so." 

When they had walked about for some time, 
they went up into the dome. A broad, paved, 
spiral staircase leads up so gradually, that most 
of the distance could be accomplished on the 
back of a donkey. The summit is obtained at 
the expense of weary limbs. Travellers reach 
the galleries within the dome, and look down 






PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 133 

upon the priests and worshippers below, who all 
seem like children. Still higher, it becomes 
difficult to distinguish them as human beings. 
From the outer gallery, beneath the cross, a no- 
ble view is gained of Rome, the old ruins of the 
past, and the broad Campagna stretching away 
in the clear distance. Looking down in front 
of the church appear the piazza, the fountains, 
and the obelisk ; on the left stand the Vatican 
and the pope's palace ; on the right, the famous 
Inquisition house ; before you rises old St. An- 
gelo ; along flows the Tiber, on its banks churches, 
temples, and ruins. 

" Will you ride up, Walter ? " asked his fa- 
ther, who was seating Minnie on the back of a 
donkey. 

" No, sir, I want to walk." 

It was curious to see Minnie carried up in 
that way ; but her father thought it better that 
she should be thus assisted. 

" Minnie, your donkey looks like Don Quix- 
ote's nag before his battle with the windmill." 

" You had better not say any thing, brother. 
You may look like Don Quixote himself after 
the battle with the windmill, before you get 
down." 

At length they reached the summit, and went 
out upon the outer gallery, where they remained 



134 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

some time looking off upon the numerous ob- 
jects in view. As they stood there Minnie ex- 
claimed, — 

" What are those ? " 

" Those what ? " asked her father. 

" Those houses on the roof beneath us," she 
said, pointing to some cottages on the building. 

" They are houses for the workmen, who live 
up here." 

" Live on the roof? " 

" Yes ; they are employed here all the time, 
and in those houses live their families, and it is 
said they seldom go down." 

" I should like to live up here." 

" Perhaps they will take you to board," said 
Walter, laughing at her. 

" You would soon tire of being up here, my 
daughter," replied her father. " You would 
soon want your flower garden, and you would 
miss the sails you used to have in Mr. Tenant's 
yacht." 

"I didn't think of that." 

" You are a silly little girl, Min," added 
Walter. 

" I ain't ; but when I am up on such a place 
as this, I feel as if I always wanted to stay." 

" Will you go to de ball, gentlemen ? " asked 
the valet de place, very respectfully. 



PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 135 

" Just as the rest say," answered Mr. Tenant. 

" I do not care about it," said Mr. Percy. " I 
was put into the ball on the cathedral in Lon- 
don, and am not very particular for another ex- 
periment of the kind." 

" 0, do go, father," coaxingly pleaded Walter. 

" You must, you must ! " shouted Minnie. 

" What do you want to go in there for, Min?" 
asked Mr. Tenant. 

" 0, just to say we have been in." 

« Why not jump off here, just to say you have 
done it ? " 

" That would be unreasonable." 

" Is not the other ? " 

" No, I think not. But I want to go to see 
the inside." 

" Well, friend Percy, this boy and girl say so, 
and I suppose we must go in." 

" Pe the gentlemens ready ? " asked the guide. 

" Yes." 

Up they went into the ball, which they found 
would hold twelve or fifteen persons ; and there 
they sat and conversed for a few minutes, but 
finding the heat very oppressive, they were soon 
glad to get down again. 

During their stay in Rome, they often went to 
the Cathedral, and two or three times ascended 
to the gallery, but never after went into the 



136 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

ball, the one visit having satisfied the children. 
Once or twice they saw the Cathedral decorated 
for public festive occasions. One day, as they 
were retiring from the church, the conversation 
turned on the rites and services of the Romish 
church, and Mr. Tenant remarked that there 
was one thing they had not seen yet. 

" What is that?" asked both children at once. 

" The Scala Santa." 

" What is that ? " asked they. 

" Tiie Holy Staircase." 

" We know no better now than before." 

" The famous Scala Santa, or Holy Staircase, 
said to be the identical stairs over which Christ 
descended from the judgment hall of Pilate." 

" Is it really the staircase ? " 

" Whether the identity of this relic can be 
proved is a question. Proof does exist to show 
that the house was taken down and removed to 
Rome, and this spacious staircase would compare 
very well with what we may suppose Pilate's 
hall to have been in other respects. Doubtless 
there is more proof that this is the same stair- 
case, than there is to show the genuineness of 
many of the relics." 

" Where is the < Scala Santa ' ? " 

" Connected with St. John Lateran, a church 
which we have already seen." 






PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 137 

While this conversation was going on, they 
had reached the place, and they found what per- 
ported to be the identical stairs which were trod- 
den by the sacred feet of Jesus eighteen hundred 
years ago. 

These stairs now lead to a little Gothic chapel 
at the top, while another parallel staircase, sepa- 
rated by a wall, runs up on each side. There 
are twenty-eight of the holy steps, and pilgrims 
ascend them on their knees. The number who 
make the ascent is so great that, a few years 
ago, it was found necessary to cover them with 
plank, lest the marble should be entirely worn 
away. 

" Mr. Tenant," said Minnie, " won't they let 
any body go up, unless they go on their knees?" 

" No, dear." 

" But 1 must go up some way." 

" 0, no ! " 

" 0, yes ! " 

" Don't let her," said Walter. 

" You had better not," said her father. 

" Don't act like a simpleton, Min," said 
Walter. 

" 0, do let me go up ; I will go quick." 

" If you wish to, my child," said her father, 
" you may." 

" Well, I will go." 




THE HOLY STAIRS. 






PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 139 

" If you are determined to go, Minnie, I will 
climb with you." 

" That's good, Mr. Tenant." 

So they went at it on their knees. When they 
were half way up they paused to examine the 
stains said to be the blood of our Saviour, which 
fell from his head when he was stopped by the 
mob. Mr. Percy and Walter went up one of the 
parallel staircases, and, arriving at the top, saw 
Mr. Tenant and the little girl coming up upon 
their knees. 

" Minnie, what did you see ? " asked Walter. 

" I saw the stain of the Saviour's blood." 

" Ah, I guess you did." 

" That is what they say." 

" They say a great many things that are only 
impositions." 

Mr. Percy turned to his friend Tenant, who 
stood by, silently wiping the perspiration from 
his forehead, and brushing his knees, as if anx- 
ious to shake the holy dust from his garments, 
and said to him, " Did you get paid for your 
pilgrimage ? " 

" If the church of Rome be true, I did, for she 
grants to any one who will climb these stairs on 
his knees an indulgence of forty days." 

A monk, perceiving that our travellers were 
well-dressed persons, and probably suspecting 



140 THE PER CI FAMILY. 

that they were able to pay for what they saw, 
offered to conduct them to some relics ; and they 
consenting, he took them to a room where they 
were shown the table on which it is said the 
" Last Supper " was celebrated, the mouth of 
the well at which Jesus sat with the woman of 
Samaria, the column of the temple which was 
split asunder when the veil was rent, the mar- 
ble slab on which the soldiers cast lots for the 
garments of Christ, and various other objects of 
superstitious interest and regard. 

" Have you seen many of these since you have 
been in R&me ? " asked Minnie. 

" Yes, several." 

" What was one, pa ? " 

" The cradle in which Christ was rocked by 
the virgin Mary." 

" Another." 

" A stone on which are the impressions of 
two human feet, said to be those of Christ, the 
stone being one on which he stood when he said 
to Peter, " Thou art Peter, and on this rock I 
will build my church." 

"What else?" 

" The Santissimo Bambino." 

" Pray, what is that ? " 

" The Holy Baby ! " 

" And what is the Holy Baby ? " 






PILGRIMAGE TO ST. PETER'S. 141 

" It is a wooden figure of the infant Saviour, 
carved by a monk, who, having finished it, lay 
down to sleep. While dreaming of paradise, St. 
Luke came and painted his little image, which 
was made out of the wood of a tree found grow- 
ing on the Mount of Olives. Henceforth the 
figure became possessed of miraculous powers to 
heal diseases." 

" Any more ? " 

" Yes, the napkin with which it is said the 
women who followed Christ to the cross wiped 
the bloody sweat from his brow." 

" Have you seen what purported to be pieces 
of the true cross ? " 

" Yes, several pieces." 

" Are these shown to the people ? " 

" Not generally." 

"Then how do you get at them ? " 

Mr. Percy took out a five franc piece, and 
held it up, and smilingly remarked, — 

" This is the silver key that will unlock almost 
any door, or open almost any gate." 

During the winter the children saw many of 
these relics, and looked upon them with interest, 
but without any superstitious veneration, as they 
had no faith in their genuineness. 



142 THE PERCY FAMILY 



Chapter XI. 

WALKS AROUND THE FORTJM. 

THERE is a living Rome and a dead Rome, a 
city of the Present, and a city of the Past. 
The city of the Past is in ruins ; the silence of 
death hovers where once walked imperial con- 
querors, and the loathsome lizard creeps where 
once senators and tribunes revelled in luxury. 
The city of the Present is full of monks, car- 
dinals, and priests ; its public ornaments are 
churches, and its populace bow and rise at the 
sound of the sacerdotal trumpet. To the city 
of the Past we now bend our steps. 

" And is this the Forum, of which I have 
heard so much ? " said Walter, as one day the 
party stood on that spot which was once the re- 
sort of orators and statesmen. 

" This is all that remains of it," replied his 
father. 

" Was it not a noted place in ancient times ? " 

" Yes, my son ; it was to the old Romans what 
Faneuil Hall was to the people of the early 
American states." 



WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 143 

" What ? " 

" Why, the Cradle of Revolution." 

" It must have been a beautiful spot origin- 
ally." 

" 0, yes ; the broken fragments which you see 
around you attest that." 

" I should like to have heard the orators who 
once here stirred the hearts of the people." 

" They are all gone, and the race of Ro^ 
mans that dwell in the city is a very different 
race from that which was here two thousand 
years ago." 

Mr. Percy then led his children through the 
Forum, and described to them what they saw, 
answered their questions, pointed out arches and 
pillars, and interested them greatly in the place 
so sacred to eloquence and patriotism. True, 
Minnie was a little impatient, and wanted to be 
gone ; but Walter lingered, and it was only a 
promise of visits to other ruins that could induce 
him to leave. The Coliseum came in for a visit 
of a day, and that gave more satisfaction than 
the Forum. The young reader knows that this 
is an immense amphitheatre, built about the 
time of Christ for gladiatorial purposes ; and 
though in ruins, it still stands in its gigantic pro- 
portions, the wonder of the world. 

" Here is the entrance," said Mr. Percy, as 
they went in. 



144 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" I remember a prophecy made by somebody," 
said Minnie. 

" What was it ? " asked Mr. Tenant, who had 
hold of Minnie's hand. 

" * While Rome stands the Coliseum shall stand; 
And when the world falls ' 

I can't remember the rest." 

" No, I shouldn't think you could," said Wal- 
ter ; " you havn't got any of it right." 

" Then you had better try yourself." 

" I know what it is." 

" Then repeat it, Walter," said Mr. Tenant. 

" I can, for I have read it a hundred times. 
Every traveller that goes to the Coliseum 
repeats it ; so a book I was reading yesterday 
said." 

" Well, if you can quote it, do so, bub." 

" I will if you will be quiet : 

1 While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand ; 
When falls the Colisexxm, Rome shall fall ; 
And when Rome falls, the world.' " 

" Bravo ! " cried Minnie, clapping her hands. 

They were now in the centre, and Mr. Percy 
called the attention of the children to the fact 
that on the very spot where they then stood 
the blood of martyrs had been shed. 



WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 147 

OOJ^OO 

" Do you remember any one in particular, 
pa ? " asked the little girl. 

" Yes, my daughter, I remember the name of 
one good and great man who was here torn to 
pieces by wild beasts." 

" Who was he ? " 

" He was the gentle, pious bishop of An- 
tioch." 

" And his name ? " 

" Was Ignatius ! " 

" Tell us about him." 

" For heresy, he was condemned to be de- 
stroyed here." 

" What kind of beasts was he thrown to ? " 

" Lions." 

" Was he not afraid ? " 

" No, he did not fear death. When they put 
him in here, he stood a moment, as if in silent 
prayer, and then advanced towards the lions, 
who, being very hungry, sprang upon him." 

" Did they tear him all to pieces ? " 

" They killed him, tore his flesh and drank 
his blood. After he was dead, two of his dea- 
cons, who had followed him with tears from 
Antioch to Rome, gathered up his bones, 
carried them away, and laid them down at the 
feet of the saints in Antioch." 

u And what is this cross ? " asked Minnie, as 



148 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

she pointed to a wooden crucifix set up in the 
centre of the arena. 

" That was put there by the priests of Rome." 

" There is an inscription on it," remarked 
Walter. 

" Go and read it Walter, and tell us what it 
is," said his sister. 

Walter went to it, and returned, saying, " I 
cannot read it." 

" Why not ? " said Minnie. 

" Because it is written in Italian, and I do not 
know any thing about the language." 

" Mr. Tenant, will you read it ? " 

"If I can." 

That gentleman went to the cross, and, after 
looking some time, told the party that as near as 
he could make out, not knowing much of the 
Italian language himself, the inscription stated, 
that whoever would kiss that cross was entitled 
to an indulgence of two hundred days. 

" Then I am in for kissing it." 

" You ? " said Walter. 

" Yes." 

" What for ? " 

" I want the indulgence." 

" Ah, you are indulged so much now that you 
will be a spoiled child before we return to Cam- 
bridge, unless we look out." 



WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 149 

" Well, I mean to kiss it. I went up the 
Scala Santa on my knees, and kissed the toe in St. 
Peter's, and I want to kiss this. We are among 
Romans, you know." 

So Minnie kissed the cross. Then they all 
went up upon the broken walls, and saw the Col- 
iseum in the blaze of daylight. They also re- 
turned one moonlight night, and obtained a view 
of the edifice, when the pale rays were stealing 
through the broken arches — a view which Byron 
so much admired, and over which poets of greater 
claim have become rapturous. 

" I should think," said Walter, as they took 
their seats in the carriage to return from the 
Coliseum, "that the old Romans must have 
been fond of such exhibitions, to demand a struc- 
ture so large as this." 

" They were very fond of gladiatorial shows 
and theatrical plays. This is not the only struc- 
ture of the kind that you will see." 
" Are there others ? " 

" Yes, several, of different sizes, and built in 
different ages." 

" What are they ? " 

" One is the Circus Maximus, which lies in a 
hollow between two of the hills on which ancient 
Rome was built, and in its day must have been 
of extraordinary beauty and elegance, twenty- 



150 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

one hundred and eighty-seven feet long, nine 
hundred and sixty feet broad, and capable of 
seating two hundred thousand persons. It was 
used for chariot races, and the various other 
performances of the Circus. " 

" Magnificent ! " 

" It certainly was. And another was the 
Circus Maxentius, which is more perfect than 
the other, and where still remain the entrances, 
the apartments for the chariots, the seats for the 
nobility, and even the balcony of the emperor." 

" Here, father — the driver is stopping at an 
old heap of ruins. What do we find here ? " 

" We shall see." 

They entered a yard, passed through a garden 
full of fig trees, and came to some mounds of 
earth, stone, and mortar, overgrown with weeds. 

"What was this — a tomb or a dungeon?" 
asked Minnie, as they brushed aside a vine, and 
went in. 

" Neither," answered her father. 

" Then it must have been the cave of some 
beast." 

" No." 

" The resort of some of the old bandits." 

" No." 

" What then ? " 

" Nothing less than the Golden House of Nero." 



WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 151 

" What, this damp, wet mound ? " 

" Yes." 

" I always supposed the Golden House of 
Nero was an elegant affair, covered with gold." 

" It was once. But now it has been despoiled 
of its beauty ; the gold and precious stones have 
been carried away, the works of art have been 
destroyed, and all that remains of it is this mound 
of earth." 

" What a pity ! " 

" If you will look, Minnie," added Mr. Ten- 
ant, " you can see some traces of former beauty. 
Look at this arched ceiling above our heads, and 
see that wall which once was beautiful panel 
work." 

" Yes, I see. Mr. Tenant, was not Nero a very 
bad man ? " 

" Yes ; he was cruel, extravagant, and ambi- 
tious." 

" The first a crime, the second a fault, the 
third a virtue," said Walter. 

" Ah, Walter, you go in for ambition, do you ? " 

" A laudable ambition, sir. You know about 
the 

■ Youth who through an Alpine village passed, 
Bearing a banner with a strange device, crying — ' " 

" 0, fudge ! Mr. Tenant, do stop Walter's poe- 
try, and tell me about Nero." 



152 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Well, coz, in these halls, now lonely and 
deserted, the monster lived and revelled in his 
iniquity ; and the very walls seem to cry out 
against his crimes. His name is associated with 
all that is brutal and depraved in man." 

" Yes, that I have always heard ; but what did 
he do that was so wicked ? " 

" At the early age of seventeen he murdered 
one of his dearest friends in a violent fit of pas- 
sion." 

" What was his name? " 

" Britannicus. Then, to accomplish his am- 
bitious schemes, he murdered Agrippina." 

" Who was he ? " 

" Not a man, but a woman, and she his 
mother." 

" His mother ? " 

" Yes, to get rid of her influence, and to reign 
alone." 

" What a wretch ! " 

" Then he had two tutors, Seneca and Lucan, 
whom he murdered in a spirit of hatred and 
revenge, because they remonstrated against his 
crimes." 

" Was he married ? " 

" Yes ; should you not like to have been his 
bride ? You have often wished you were a 
queen." 






WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 153 

" 0, no, indeed — the bloody monster ! " 

" But his wife was an empress." 

" How did he treat his wife ? " 

" He had more than one. One was a very un- 
fortunate woman." 

" What was her name ? " 

" Octavia. For things in which she was en- 
tirely guiltless, she was divorced and shut up on 
the Island of Pandaleria, where he visited her, 
and compelled her to open her veins and let out 
her blood." 

" What a wretch ! " 

" He had another, Poppaea Sabina, who did 
not fear him at all, but rebuked his sins; and so 
constant were her denunciations of his crimes 
that he killed her to silence her voice." 

" Worse and worse — what else ? " 

" Why, you know that on one occasion he 
employed men to set fire to Rome, and when it 
was burning went upon the roof of this Golden 
House and played on his viol." 

" What did he want Rome to burn for ? " 

" He hated Christians, and when the city was 
set on fire, he charged it on them, and made the 
charge an occasion for a general massacre." 

" Infamous ! " 

" That word does not express the enormity of 
his conduct." 

« How did he die ? " 



154 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Committed suicide to save liimself from the 
indignation of his people, who rose up against his 
crimes." 

When they left the Golden House, which is 
not golden now, they went to the old Palace of 
the Caesars, on the Palatine ; and spent weeks 
following in visiting temples, arches, and ruined 
palaces. Walter was surprised at the extent of 
these ruins. The baths especially furnish an 
idea of the immense wealth and prodigality of 
the old Roman monarchs. Those of Caracalla 
cover an area of a mile in circuit, and the ruins 
which remain are still grand and beautiful. 
The fine mosaic floors, on which are piled the 
fallen pillars — the exquisite carvings, broken 
pieces of which are scattered about — speak vol- 
umes as to the former glory of the place. The 
baths of Diocletian, of Agrippa, of Constantine, 
of Titus, are but little inferior to those of Cara- 
calla. 

" There is one place I want to go to, father," 
said Walter, one day. 

" Where ? " 

" To the prison where Paul was incarcerated." 

" The Mamertine ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" We will go there to-day." 

The party directed their steps to the prisons, 




WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 155 

two in number. They are beneath the surface 
of the earth, directly under the Church of St. 
Giuseppe, and consist of two large chambers, 
one directly under the other. A flight of some 
thirty steps leads to the first chamber, which 
is about thirty feet square. The chamber below 
is somewhat smaller. Into this lower room the 
prisoners were formerly lowered through a hole 
in the ceiling, and allowed to perish most mis- 
erably. The light of the sun never penetrates 
that dark abode ; the walls drop filth, and the 
floor is thick with a black, dirty mud. 

As the party went down, the valet de place 
pointed to an indentation in the wall, in the 
form of a human head. 

" What is it ? " asked Mr. Tenant. 

" It is the form of the head of Peter, who was 
once confined here," said the valet. " When the 
apostle went down, the jailer gave him a push. 
His head struck the wall, and made this inden- 
tation." 

" Hum ! " said Minnie. 

" Whew ! " was the response of Walter. 

In the middle of the lower chamber is a pillar, 
to which the apostle Paul is said to have been 
chained ; and also a fountain of cold, delicious 
water, which is said to have been produced by 
miracle. 



156 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" How was it ? " asked Walter of the valet. 

" It was this. When Peter was here, (the 
Romans are fond of ascribing miracles to Peter,) 
his jailers, Martinian and Processus, were con- 
verted to Christ, and wanted to be baptized, and 
to procure water for the service the apostle 
prayed that God would furnish it. When he 
arose, a fountain sweet and pure gushed up from 
the very spot which had been pressed by his 
knees." 

The children tasted the water, and said that 
it was very cold and pleasant to the taste. 

" Look there ! " said the valet. 

" What now ? " inquired Mr. Tenant. 

" That door leads into the Catacombs," and he 
opened it, and out came a dank smell, which 
was very unpleasant. There also rushed out a 
cold wind, that almost extinguished their torches. 

Minnie wanted to go in a little distance, and her 
father consented, and she entered in the dark, 
while Walter stood with a torch at the door. 
The little girl boldly and bravely went on about 
one hundred feet, sometimes striking her head 
against the rock ; but she found that the torch 
behind her gave her no assistance, and a lizard 
leaping against her arm caused her to turn back, 
and get out as quickly as she could. 

These Catacombs wind under the city in all 



WALKS AROUND THE FORUM. 157 

directions. They were the retreat of Christians 
in the dreadful persecutions that occurred in the 
days of Nero, and are now filled with their bones. 
From another point our party, one day, went 
down into them with guides and torches. 

" There is one place you have not yet taken 
us to, father," said Minnie, as they were riding 
out one day. 

"I have taken you almost every where — 
where is the one place ? " 

" The Traitor's Leap." 

" Ah, the Tarpeian Rock." 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, we are near there now." 

So they drove to the Traitor's Leap, a high, 
rough, abrupt precipice, on the southern side of 
the Capitoline Hill, some seventy or eighty feet 
in height. 

" What gives this rock its name — Tarpeian? " 
asked Walter. 

" It derives its name," replied his father, 
" from Tarpeia, the daughter of a Roman magis- 
trate." 

" Why did they give it her name ? " 

" Because she betrayed Rome, and, for gold, 
opened the gates of the city to the Sabines." 

" How much did she get ? " 

" None. The Sabines entered, and, instead 



158 



THE PERCY FAMILY. 



of redeeming their pledges, they cast their shields 
upon her in derision, until she died beneath the 
weight. She was buried near the place, and the 
rock took her name." 

" But why call it the < Traitor's Leap ' ? " 
" Because condemned criminals were brought 
here, and cast down upon the rocks below ; this 
custom has expired." 

What is related in this chapter, is not half of 
what the children saw in their " walks around 
the Forum," as Walter called their researches 
among the ruins. They went to the tomb of the 
Scipios, and the tomb of Caius Cestius, to the 
Temple of Bacchus, and the Grotto of Egeria, 
and to many other places, about which we doubt 
not children have read. Spending so long time 
in Rome, they did nothing huriedly, but without 
weariness saw all they wished to of the old and 
the new. 



THE VATICAN. INSIDE AND OUT. 159 



Chapter XII. 

THE VATICAN, INSIDE AND OUT. 

"T\0 you remember the palace of that rich 
-L' banker we went into the other day, Wal- 
ter ? " asked his sister. 

" Yes." 

" Wasn't it fine ? " 

" Very elegant — what of it ? " 

" I thought it was much finer than some of 
the palaces of kings that we have seen." 

" It was." 

" What is the finest palace in the world ? " 

" Elegant, do you mean ? " 

" Yes." 

" I do not know ; but the Vatican, the pope's 
palace, that we are going to see to-day, is the 
most wonderful." 

" What makes it so ? " 

" Its location, contents, and inhabitants." 

" Is it larger than Buckingham ? " 

" Yery much larger." 

" Does the pope live there ? " 

" He does." 



160 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

"Is it far off?" 

" Not very far. It stands in a fine position on 
the left of St. Peter's, and communicates with 
the Castle of St. Angelo by a covered gallery. 
It has, Mr. Tenant tells me, eight grand stair- 
cases ; two hundred of less size and elegance ; 
twenty courts, and four thousand four hundred 
and twenty-two fine apartments. These apart- 
ments are filled with every thing valuable in the 
fine arts, and every thing beautiful in works 
of taste. Then the galleries extend for miles, 
the building itself being one thousand one hun- 
dred and fifty-one feet long, and seven hundred 
and sixty-seven feet wide. Here dead marble 
speaks with a living voice, and silent painting 
and lifeless canvas teach eloquent lessons." 

" Quite eloquent you are, bub." 

" Now don't, you plague." 

" Don't what ? " 

" Why, don't trouble me when I am trying to 
enlighten you." 

" Come, children," called Mr. Percy, " we are 
all ready to go to the Vatican." 

" So are we, pa," answered Minnie. 

And off they went, until they reached the pal- 
ace of the pontiffs, where they alighted. 

"What are those?" asked Minnie of Walter, 
pointing to the pope's sentinels standing in the 
entrance way. 



THE VATICAN INSIDE AND OUT. 161 

"They are,'' replied Walter, "the Swiss 
guard." 

" What a queer uniform they wear ! " 

And queer the uniform is, consisting of steel 
hemlets, with flowing plumes ; frocks of blue, 
green, white, and yellow stripes ; loose, flowing 
Bloomer trousers, similarly striped ; stockings 
striped likewise. They look quite fantastic. 
The party passed by the guards into the halls 
and galleries of the Vatican. It would take a 
long time to tell what they saw ; but Walter not- 
ed down many things, and afterwards wrote out 
a full description in his journal. Among the 
paintings noticed by him was the great master- 
piece of Raphael, the Transfiguration, which has 
formed an object of admiration from the day of 
its execution, and which, after his decease, was 
hung over his corpse, and worshipped by bowing, 
superstitious throngs ; the Conversion of St. Jer- 
ome, by Domenichino, like a living scene look- 
ing down from the wall ; the Crucifixion of St. 
Peter, by Guido, so true to nature and so just to 
art that tears of sympathy steal unbidden down 
the cheek ; and many others. 

Then they went into the galleries of sculpture, 

where they saw the famous Laocoon, and the 

sleeping Cleopatra, and many a form in marble 

that seems to speak to the stranger as he ap- 

vol. iv. 11 



162 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

proaches. Then the wonderful library, with its 
books and manuscripts, and the sacred places 
which are visited by all who enter Rome, were 
seen. 

" I want to see the Sistine Chapel," said Wal- 
ter, as they wandered about. 

" What is that ? " asked his sister. 

u The famous chapel where the pope wor- 
ships." 

" 0, dear ! I thought it was some old ruin, by 
the interest you manifested." 

« No." 

" We will go to it now, children, if you wish 
to," said their father. 

" What is this dreary place famous for ? " 
asked Minnie, as they entered the celebrated 
chapel. 

" As the place where the pope performs ser- 
vice, or himself attends service." 

" Pho ! " 

" There is the chair in which he sits." 

" I will go and sit down in it." 

" Stop, stop," cried Mr. Percy ; " you may get 
into trouble." 

The official who seemed to have the care of 
the chapel told Minnie she might sit in the 
chair, which she did, exclaiming, — 

" Now I sit in the pope's chair of state." 



THE VATICAN INSIDE AND OUT. 163 

While this was taking place, Mr. Tenant and 
Walter were looking at the great picture of the 
Last Judgment, painted by Michael Angelo, 
which is much defaced by time and the smoke 
of candles. It is sixty feet long and thirty 
broad. The dead are seen rising from their 
graves — the good and bad ; the angels winging 
their way from the heights above and sweeping 
to the depths beneath, the anguish of some and 
the joy of others, all stand out with striking 
effect. 

As they left the chapel, Walter expressed the 
desire to see the occupant of the private apart- 
ments — the pope himself; but his father told him 
that could not be. But as they retired from the 
building they saw a stir among the people ; and 
soon the pontiff came down the grand staircase, 
entered his carriage, and rode away. They had 
a good view of him, and his countenance was at 
once daguerreotyped on the memories of the 
children. 

" How is a pope raised to office ? " asked 
Walter, as they rode home. 

" When a pope dies," Mr. Percy replied, " the 
cardinals shut themselves up and ballot for a 
successor ; and when the election is made, the 
ballots are all put into a grate, and the smoke 
announces to the people of Rome that a choice 



164 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

has been effected. Then a herald goes forth and 
announces who the fortunate man is." 

" Do they often ballot many times ? " 

" Yes. When Gregory XVI. died, the car- 
dinals, according to the usual custom, shut 
themselves up, and proceeded to the election of 
his successor. Five days were spent in an in- 
effectual attempt to elect some one to lead the 
hosts of Rome ; but on the sixth it was an- 
nounced that Cardinal Feretti was pope." 

" Was that the pope's name ? " 

" Yes." 

" Was that all ? " 

" No, his whole name is Giovanni Maria Mas- 
tai Feretti." 

" Whew ! enough of it." 

" Is he a good man ? " 

" Better than many of the popes." 

" Has his administration been an easy one ? " 

" No. In November, 1848, his people rose up 
against him, and he fled from Rome in the jacket 
of a Bavarian slave, and found shelter from his 
unloving subjects in the arms of Ferdinand of 
Naples, at Gaeta." 

" Who is Ferdinand ? " 

" The king of Naples, you know, who has 
earned the title of King Bomba." 

" 0, yes, I should have remembered." 



THE VATICAN INSIDE AND OUT. 165 

" How did the pope get back ? " asked Min- 
nie. 

" The French came and subdued the Romans, 
and the pope has been sustained by French and 
Austrian armies ever since." 

" Was the pope a cardinal once ? " 

" Yes ; he was elected to that office in 1H40. 
Previous to that he was an archbishop, maae so 
in 1829." 

" Is there not much lamentation in Rome 
when a pope dies ? " 

" No, not much. When Gregory XVI. died, 
the people seemed to be glad. And if Pius IX. 
should die, there would not be much mourn- 
ing, if we may judge from the fact that he is 
now sustained on the episcopal throne by French 
arms." 

"Do you remember when Gregory died ? " 

" Yes ; I read the account in English and 
American newspapers. I recollect that it was 
stated, that as soon as his death was known, one 
of the cardinals, Camerlinque, repaired to the 
palace, and went through the usual formality 
of striking three blows on the forehead of the 
dead man, and announcing officially to the peo- 
ple of Rome that ' papa was surely dead.' " 

" Did he die in the Vatican ? " 

" No ; he breathed his last at the Quirinal Pat 



166 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

ace, which you remember to have visited a few 
days ago." 

" What was that pope's name ? " 

" Mauri Capellari." 

" Shall we have any opportunity to see the 
present pope again ? " 

" I think we shall." 

That opportunity soon occurred. One day, 
soon after this conversation, the gentlemen were 
informed that some religious services were to be 
held which would give the party a fine opportu- 
nity of seeing the pope. So, getting ready as 
soon as possible, they hurried out. The streets 
were thronged with gay and animated crowds 
of people. French soldiers, in shining uniforms, 
were moving up and down the Corso ; monks 
and nuns, friars and priests, wending their way 
towards the venerable and sacred edifice, St. 
Peter's. They soon learned that a religious 
procession was to be formed, and that thousands 
of monks and priests would go through the 
streets chanting their sacred lays. This news 
pleased the children very much. So, falling in 
with the line of carriages, they crossed the bridge, 
by St. Angelo, and soon found themselves in front 
of the Cathedral. They were fortunate enough 
to secure good seats under the colonnade, through 
which the procession was to pass. At nine o'clock 



THE VATICAN INSIDE AND OUT. 167 

precisely the stir began, the first rank emerging 
from the door of the Vatican just as the hour 
arrived. 

" What are these grim soldiers ? " asked Min- 
nie, as a regiment of soldiers, with stern counte- 
nances and looks as grave as if they were march- 
ing to the field of death, came slowly by. 

" They are French soldiers. You should 
know the uniform by this time," answered 
Walter. 

" I do know it, but could not tell why French 
soldiers should be in this procession. Who are 
those now coming ? ' ' 

" This is a company of the famous gens 
d' amies ." 

" Savage looking — are they not ? " 

" Yes, and ugly looking." 

" Here are some boys — who are they ? " 

" Boys that are being educated in Catholic 
schools," replied the lad, as several hundred 
boys, wearing white robes, and carrying burning 
candles, and, as they moved on, sending out 
strains of music from their young lips, deli- 
ciously wild and discordant, went marching by. 

Next followed the friars, white, gray, and 
black, of all the different orders, with large wax 
candles burning in their hands. 

" How do you like the looks of them, Minnie ? " 
asked Mr. Tenant, 



168 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" I don't like the looks of them at all." 

" Why not ? Some of them are good looking 
men." 

" I should think they were. They are bare- 
foot, unshaven, filthy, and superstitious." 

The friars, priests, cardinals, having passed 
by, a mitre on a velvet cushion was borne by, at 
which the people bowed low, and then followed 
more monks, and all the time bells were ring- 
ing, cannon firing, and the people shouting with 
joy. An hour was thus occupied, when the bell 
of the Cathedral announced that the pope was 
leaving the Vatican. He came on, preceded by 
his body guard of soldiers, dressed in their sin- 
gular uniform, which gave them a most grotesque 
appearance. 

" What is coming ? " asked Minnie. 

" The pope," replied her father. 

" What, mounted on men's shoulders ! " 

" Yes — silence ! " 

" 0, dear," said the little girl to herself, " I 
can't talk; so I must look with all my eyes. 
Then that is the pope. Walter, Walter ! " she 
whispered. 

" What ? " 

" He looks as if he was seasick." 

" Hush ! " 

The pope passed by. He rode in a car trimmed 



THE VATICAN INSIDE AND OUT. 169 

with gold and decorated with spangles. Over 
his head was a canopy of gilt and crimson. 
The car was borne upon the shoulders of ecclesi- 
astics and princes of high rank, and his head 
was bowed over a golden crucifix. 

" What does he look like, Minnie ? " asked 
Mr. Tenant. 

" Like a man riding on an elephant,' ' an- 
swered the child. 

" How do you like his looks ? " 

" Very well. He seems mild and inoffensive. 
How old is he ? " 

" He was born in 1792. You can calculate 
from that." 

" Let me see. From 1792 to 1800 is eight 
years ; from 1800 to 1858 is fifty-eight years ; 
fifty-eight and eight are sixty-six. He must be 
sixty-six years old." 

The whole procession having passed, the party 
hurried to the Cathedral, where the pope per- 
formed some religious service, and gave his 
benediction to the populace. After this they 
saw His Holiness, as the pope is styled, on sev- 
eral occasions. The children thus became very 
familiar with the Vatican and its princely occu- 
pant. 



170 THE PERCY FAMILY 



Chapter XIII. 

THE CARNIVAL. 

"rpHE CARNIVAL! What is the Carnival ? 

A Every body is talking about the Carnival. 
People tell us not to leave Rome until Carnival 
is over. They ask us if we are getting ready for 
Carnival. Do tell me what it is ? " said Minnie, 
hurriedly, and almost out of breath, as she had 
been listening one morning to the two gentle- 
men as they conversed about the approaching 
festivities. 

" Minnie, are you crazy ? " asked her father, 
disturbed by her vehemence. 

" No, pa ; but it seems to me that the people 
here are all going crazy about the carnival, and 
I wish to know something about it." 

" Well, here is Walter; he will tell you, while 
I attend to some business matters with Mr. 
Tenant." 

" Well, Walter, what about the carni- 
val ? " 

" I don't know much about it ; only that it 
is a season of festivity, continuing several weeks, 



THE CARNIVAL. 171 

when the people of Rome give themselves up to 
pleasure." 

" How do they get it ? " 

" They begin with religious services, and end 
with all kinds of jolly nonsense. We shall see 
when it comes." 

They did see. The religious services which 
precede, rather than form a part of the carnival, 
soon commenced. To those who are not interested 
in the imposing ceremonies and gorgeous shows 
of the Papal church, these days drag heavily. 
Pleasure in the usual forms is prohibited, and 
the churches are filled. The religious services 
over, the people give themselves up to unre- 
strained mirth, fun without wit, frolic without 
sense. 

" To-day," said Mr. Tenant, as they were go- 
ing out one morning, " the fun commences." 

" 0, 1 am so glad!" replied Minnie. 

" Why ? " 

" Because Rome is so tedious during religi 
festivities." 

" You will find nothing dull here for the next 
eigkt days." 

About noon, the party, seated in an open ba- 
rouche, with two gentle horses and a careful 
driver, that Mr. Percy had taken great pains to 
secure, started out to see what was going on. 



172 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

They found the streets full of people, the win- 
dows all up, the houses gayly decorated, and 
feverish expectations reigning every where. 

" What — is — that?" exclaimed the children, 
in one breath, as turning a corner of a street 
brought them in view of a horrid-looking being 
mounted on a gaunt, hungry-looking white 
horse. 

" That," replied her father, " is a man rigged 
up to represent Death on the Pale Horse, though 
a funny-looking Death he is." 

" Is that the way they do here in carnival ? " 

" Yes ; one part of the sport of the few days to 
come consists of a succession of masquerades, 
races, balls, and frolics, and some of these are 
gay, magnificent, and foolish beyond descrip- 
tion." 

" Shall we see many more like this ? " 

" 0, yes, hundreds of them, in all sorts of 
grotesque costumes, and representing all sorts 
of characters, human, angelic, and devilish." 

They had now reached the Corso. The Corso 
is the broad way, the great thoroughfare of 
Rome ; and it is here that, during carnival, 
pleasure appears in its most attractive forms. 
Families lay aside their aristocratic pride, and 
ride out in their carriages ; strangers hire less 
imposing vehicles ; poorer classes on foot crowd 



THE CARNIVAL. 173 

the streets, while the windows, verandas, porti- 
coes, and balconies are filled with the delighted 
spectators. The route of the procession is des- 
ignated, and no tide rolls in an opposite direc- 
tion. Especially in the Corso is the greatest 
care used to prevent tumult and accident. 

" How brilliant ! " exclaimed Minnie, as she 
looked upon the crowds of people, the hangings 
from the windows, the gaudy colors — white, 
olive, red — all delightfully blended. 

" We are right in the midst of it," was Wal- 
ter's exclamation, as in a moment they were in 
the crowd, and their carriage was surrounded 
by the masked characters, many of whom seemed 
to have tortured imagination for extravagant 
designs. 

" Father ! father ! see those two monkeys," 
cried Minnie. 

" Where ? " 

" On the balcony of that house yonder. ,, 

" 0, yes, they are men." 

" What have they in their hands ? " 

" A cocoa-nut, as near as I can see." 

" Min, Min, there is a bear walking over there." 

" How natural ! " 

" Yes ; if a Rocky Mountain grizzly should see 
him, he would give him a hug, thinking he had 
found his mate." 



174 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Ha, ha, ha ! " 

" And what are these coming ? " asked Mr. 
Tenant. 

For a time they could not tell, but soon found 
they were ladies costumed to represent angels. 
The carriage in which they rode was formed to 
represent a hemisphere, and the idea was well 
carried out. 

" Beautiful ! " cried Minnie, clapping her 
hands. 

" That is good," replied Walter. 

Then there marched by a company of tall 
Roman knights of the olden time, representing a 
race now dead ; and the crowd gave way before 
them, as they clanked their armor, and strode 
on. Then came carriage loads of young ladies 
dressed to represent the courts of various coun- 
tries. There in one carriage were Victoria and 
the ladies of her court ; in another, Eugenie and 
the ladies of her train ; in another, the Empress 
of Austria and her ladies ; in another, the Em- 
press of Russia, with her fur-clad court, making 
a company which drew all eyes. 

" America not represented ! " cried Minnie. 

" No," answered Mr. Tenant. 

"0,1 wish I could represent my country ! " 
exclaimed the little girl. 

" You can." 



THE CARNIVAL. 175 

" But I have no costume." \ 

" I put into the carriage," said her fa&er, " a 
small American flag. You can have that." 

" Change seats with me, Walter," shouted the 
child to her brother, who sat on the box with 
the driver. 

Walter complied, and her father assisted Min- 
nie to climb into the box with the driver. The 
flag was affixed to Mr. Tenant's cane, and the 
girl, with her curls floating upon her shoulders, 
her whole countenance beaming with beauty, 
held it aloft. 

" Fall into the procession, driver," she said to 
that person, and he turned the carriage into the 
line just as the last of the carriages representing 
the Ottoman court went by. But that little flag 
was recognized and greeted with shouts. Now, 
a party of Americans, far from home, caught 
sight of it, and rent the air with " hurras," such 
only as Americans can give. Then a party of 
English, understanding the impromptu effort of 
the child to represent her countrywomen, joined 
their shouts, and made the Corso ring. Even 
the French and Italians applauded as they saw 
the stars and stripes, and soon Minnie found 
herself a heroine indeed. A few hours spent 
thus sufficed for one day, and the conveyance 
broke from the crowd, and was driven rapidly to 



176 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

the hotel. And thus day followed day, each 
one the exhibition becoming more grotesque. 

The last two days bring out all the people of 
Rome, and thousands of strangers, who resort to 
the city for the purpose of seeing the famous 
sports. These days are spent in a gay frolic be- 
tween men, women, and children, in which they 
pelt each other with flowers, sugar plums, and 
other confectionery, until the Corso becomes a 
vast trough of roses and sugar, in which the 
people wallow, to their great delight. The car- 
riages are filled with men and women, young 
and old, gay and grave, who are armed with 
baskets of flowers and piles of confectionery, 
which they throw at others whom they may meet 
in the street, in other carriages, on the sidewalks, 
and at the windows. The actors in this scene are 
generally masked, and grotesquely dressed, and 
present a singular appearance. 

To please the children, Mr. Percy procured 
masks for them, and a large quantity of confec- 
tionery, and wild was their delight. They rode 
through the streets pelting every carriage they 
met, and in return were all covered over with 
flowers and dust. 

And when night came a new scene was pre- 
sented. Each person has a little taper, and the 
fun of the thing consists in his trying to keep it 






THE CARNIVAL. 177 

burning, while every other person tries to extin- 
guish it. Walter carried a little colored torch 
i:i one hand and in the other a rod, to which was 
affixed a handkerchief, with which, as he rode 
along, he extinguished many a taper for others. 
Only once was his own torch extinguished, and 
that was when hit by an orange from the bal- 
cony of a house by which he was passi g. It is 
quite impossible to describe the fascinating yet 
foolish spectacle. The Corso becomes a cloud 
of fire, which shines out from many a torch and 
lantern. Red, green, blue, and many a gay 
color flashes on the sight, until the whole scene 
becomes one of bewildering beauty. 

" Father, when does the carnival close ? " 
asked Minnie, one day. 

" Do you want it to close ? " 

" No, indeed ; but I shall grow mad with ex- 
citement and delight, if these scenes continue 
much longer." 

''- Well, to-night will be the last spectacle you 
will wish to witness." 

" Ah! what is that?" 

" What you have often heard about — the 
illumination of St. Peter's." 

" 0, yes, yes, yes ! " 

" When we have seen that, we shall be ready 
to leave Rome." 

VOL. iv. 12 



178 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" When will it occur." 

" To-night." 

" Is it possible ? " 

" You will see." 

That evening they went out to see the illu- 
mination. The children, at the suggestion of 
Mr. Percy, had slept a few hours in the after- 
noon, and at nightfall were fresh and vigorous. 
They rode out to the Pincian Hill, from which a 
fine view is obtained. This illumination is 
deemed a grand occasion, and draws to Rome 
thousands of persons. The whole Cathedral is 
so lighted at night as to show the proportions of 
the building, with each pillar and projection, so 
that the whole appears to be one mass of fire, 
blazing out, hour after hour, with great architec- 
tural precision, a palace of flame, the admiration 
of thousands who have travelled far to gaze 
upon it. 

" 0, look ! see ! " was the exclamation of 
Walter, and the whole company turned towards 
the Cathedral. The grand exhibition had com- 
menced, and soon the whole edifice was wrapped 
in soft silver light. 

" This is the silver illumination," said Mr. 
Percy. 

" Why called so ? " asked Walter. 

" Because the light is white, as you see." 



THE CARNIVAL. 179 

" How is it produced ? " 

" It is produced by the lighting of about six 
thousand lanterns, formed of white paper, so 
as to give the effect of a white light." 

For a long time they gazed upon this silver 
illumination, and while it continued, the build- 
ing seemed to be one sheet of silver, glistening 
in some supernatural light, and shining on, hour 
after hour, with a subduing aspect. 

" And what now ? " asked Walter, as the 
Cathedral seemed to blaze again, about ten 
o'clock. 

" The golden illumination has commenced," 
replied his father. 

" How is it done ? " 

" By the addition of several thousand more 
lights, made of tar and other inflammable mate- 
rials, which are made to flash out at once, chan- 
ging the whole appearance of the scene." 

" How do they get the lights there ? " 

" Several hundred men lower themselves upon 
that mighty dome, and hang there amid the fire, 
perilling their lives for the generous compensa- 
tion which they receive." 

" It is wonderful ! " said the thoughtful boy, 
who had never seen its like before. 

" It is perfectly splendid," was the declaration 
of his more vivacious sister. 



180 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

And wonderful and splendid the spectacle 
was, as it shone that night. In the midst of the 
flood of light, the Cathedral stands, one mass of 
fire, yet unconsumed. The bright light reveals 
every column, crevice, window, and door, and 
the church stands like a mountain of fire, sur- 
mounted by a cross which now seems lost in the 
clouds, and anon stands out with great distinct- 
ness. All night it burns and blazes there, while 
none in Rome thinks of sleep. The scene is too 
exciting ; and, till the last light goes out in the 
dim gray of the morning, the Pincian Hill is 
covered with a dense mass of spectators. 

" Back to the hotel," said Mr. Percy to the 
driver. 

" Not yet, pa," pleaded Minnie. 

" No, not yet, father," urged Walter. 

" It is one o'clock, and will be two before you 
are in bed." 

" We shall not sleep, if we retire," said Wal- 
ter, " and we might as well sit up." 

" I think we must return, children ; you are 
already much excited." 

The driver turned his horses towards the hotel, 
and the children were soon in bed — but not to 
sleep. The scenes they had witnessed, weary 
though they were, would have kept them awake 
even if the hotel and the streets had not been 



THE CARNIVAL. 



181 



filled with crowds of noisy people. Morning 
dawned ere slumber descended upon their grate- 
ful eyelids. And even then, in their dreams, 
they lived the night over again, and in visions 
saw that Cathedral blaze in the air, while shouts 
from ten thousand tongues fell on their ears. 
Often they started from their sleep with exclama- 
tions of delight and wonder, and sank back upon 
their pillows only to enjoy the spectacle over 
again ; and when they woke, it was with the 
magnificent scene pictured indelibly on the tab- 
lets of memory. 




182 THE PERCY FAMILY 



Chapter XIV. 

NAPLES. 

6C {T\ ET up, Walter, get up," was a cry raised 

V-J by Minnie, one morning, very soon after 
the events recorded in the foregoing chapter. 

" Go away and let me alone," answered the 
boy. 

" Get up, get up ; we are entering the Bay of 
Naples." 

" What ! " 

" What ? sleepy head ; wake up ! " 

" What did you say ? " 

" We are entering the Bay of Naples — father 
has been up an hour — passengers all on deck — 
glorious morning — time you were out of your 
berth," was the cheerful answer, given in one 
breath, by the child, as she hurried from the 
cabin to the deck. 

The party had gone from Borne to Civita Vec- 
chia, a very mean town on the coast, and there 
taken a steamer for Naples, the beautiful bay of 
which the steamer, the Erculano, was now enter- 
ing. Walter hurried on his clothes, vexed with 



NAPLES. 183 

himself for having overslept, and was soon on 
deck, where he found the passengers expressing 
their admiration of the enchanting scene. 

" Here comes bub, an hour late," was Min- 
nie's salutation, who was glad to have found 
Walter a little behind herself. But he did not 
notice her remark. His attention was drawn to 
what he saw before him — the bay and city of 
Naples, and the surrounding country. " Beau- 
tiful ! " he repeated, as he reached his father's 
side. 

" Ah, Walter, you here ? We have been try- 
ing to make out the secret of the beauty of this 
bay," said Mr. Percy. 

" Is there any secret about it ? " 
" Yes ; we know it is beautiful, but what the 
elements of that beauty are, one does not see at 
the first glance." 

" Have you discovered the secret ? " 
" Yes. The beauty of the bay arises from a 
variety of circumstances. Its form is regularly 
curved, and all around are shining palaces, 
looking down upon its shores, and off upon its 
waters. Behind the towns and villages, the 
hills and mountains rise abruptly, and seem to 
stand as high towers charged with molten tor- 
rents, which they are ready to pour out upon 
the surrounding country." 



184 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Charming scene ! I do not wonder at the 
old saying." 

" What do you refer to ? " 

" < See Naples, and die.' " 

" Ah, yes, that is an old saying. But we 
must go ashore. The steamer has come to 
anchor. " 

An hour after they were on shore, having 
escaped from the hungry boatmen, custom-house 
officials, and policemen. As they were on the 
way to the hotel, Walter asked, — 

" How many inhabitants are there in Na- 
ples ? " 

" About three hundred and fifty thousand," 
replied his father ; " but there does not appear 
to be so many. On approaching the city from 
the sea, one would hardly imagine how many 
human beings are huddled together. The streets 
are narrow ; the houses, as you see, rise story 
on story, until they lose themselves from the 
view of the gazer, and both streets and houses 
are crowded with as miserable and dirty a class 
of beings as can be found in Italy." 

" How much territory does the city oc- 
cupy ? " 

" It is twelve miles in circuit, with ample 
fortifications; three hundred churches; forty 
asylums for the poor and orphans ; with a vast 



NAPLES. 185 

variety of objects connected with the past and 
the present, to interest the traveller." 

Our party spent a few weeks in Naples, and a 
letter from Walter to his mother will tell wha» 
they saw in that city. 

Naples, 1859. 

Dear Mother : — 

I wish you were here, so that I could lean my 
head against your shoulder, and tell you what 1 
have seen. But as you are not here I must 
write to you. My letters from Rome told you 
all about St. Peter's, the Vatican, the Coliseum, 
the Carnival, and the Pope. We are now in 
Naples, where we have been much pleased. I 
know you would like to have me tell you about 
the people — how they look, and dress, and live. 
I will try to tell you, in the best language I can. 
The better class of the people dress very neatly, 
and on gala days the crowded streets present a 
gay and brilliant spectacle. The soldiers in 
uniform, with waving plumes, and the young 
women, with their muslin scarfs, and gay, laugh- 
ing features, give a showy appearance to the 
whole town. But the lower order of Neapoli- 
tans are very meanly clad, and approach a step 
nearer barbarism than any people I have previous- 
ly seen. The men wear a coarse crash shirt, with 



186 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

coarse trousers, which are tied around the waist 
with a cord. An old straw hat completes the 
rig. The legs and feet from the knees down- 
ward, the arms from the elbows, and the shoul- 
ders, brown and sunburnt, are generally uncov- 
ered. As to shoes, they are a luxury which the 
poorer people seldom indulge in. The women 
dress correspondingly, and are seen moving 
through the streets singing, with loads upon 
their shoulders which would almost break the 
back of a donkey. 

Of the many things we have seen, the sheet 
on which I write would not suffice to tell you. 
We have been into monasteries and seen the 
monks ; we have been down into the catacombs, 
which are in three stories or stratums, hewn out 
of the rock, running under the whole city, and 
extending as far as Pozzuoli. All along these 
arched subterranean passages are niches cut in the 
walls, just large enough for the corpse, whether it 
be man or child. The ceilings are adorned with 
mosaics and frescoes. Some of these are pagan, 
and some are Christian, teaching the lessons of 
several different ages. Little monuments with 
inscriptions, one to the god of gardens, are set up 
here, and they seem to live and speak as the red 
glare of the torch falls upon them. We have 
been to the tomb of Virgil. It stands over the 



NAPLES. 187 

entrance of the Grotto of Posilipo, in a spot to 
which the ashes were removed by Augustus. 
We pushed our way out of the city, up the hill, 
passing through an old gate, into a garden fra- 
grant with flowers, and shady with fig, chestnut, 
and palm trees, to a little arch-like building 
about twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide, 
over which the ilex tree, so loved by Virgil, 
casts its shadow. 

We have also visited many churches, — for you 
know this is a city of churches, — and they are all 
filled with pictures and statues. Of one of these 
churches let me tell you particularly. It is the 
cathedral, and was formerly a pagan temple ; 
and near the door at which we entered was an 
urn which once contained the blood shed in sac- 
rifices. Within is St. January's Chapel, and a 
very fine thing it is. It has a brass gate, which, 
we were told, required the labor of two men 
forty-five years to build it. The interior of the 
chapel is very richly finished ; the dome small, 
but very superb. The altar is of gold and pre- 
cious stones, and nothing but a silver bribe will 
uncover it. In the sacristy are kept forty-six 
silver busts, as large as life, of St. Antonio, John 
the Baptist, and others. Behind a statue of St. 
January is an oratory, where a golden bust of 
the saint, and a bottle of his blood, are kept. 



188 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

And what story do you think they have about 
this blood ? I will tell you. Father tells me 
that the story is this : When St. January was 
killed for his love to Jesus, a woman caught his 
blood, and preserved it. A part of the blood 
was taken to Spain, and the remainder to Naples. 
The portion brought to Naples was bottled, and, 
with the golden bust which contains the skull 
of the saint, or somebody else, is shut up in a 
silver tabernacle. The bust is separated from 
the blood ; and it was told us that, when the 
skull and the blood are brought into contact, a 
miracle is produced. The coagulated blood 
liquefies as soon as it is brought to the bust. 

I wish I had time to tell you of all the things 
we have seen in this strange country ; but my 
paper is full. Besides, I hear notes of prepara- 
tion for a tour we are to take to-day into the 
country around Naples, and Minnie is in the 
hall shouting my name with all her might; so I 
must close here. 

Walter. 

" Walter, Walter, we are all waiting for you! " 
shouted Minnie, in the hall. 

" Yes, yes, child ! " 

" Well, come; pa is ready, and the carriage is 
at the door." 



NAPLES. 189 

Walter put his letter into his portfolio, and ran 
down ; and soon the whole company were seated 
in the carriage, and on their way. 

" What is this we are coming into ? Mercy ! 
how dark it is ! " said Minnie. 

" Yes, it is very dark," replied her father. 

"What is it — a tunnel?" 

" Yes, child ; a wide road dug out under a 
mountain, called the Grotto of Posilipo." 

" How long is it ? " 

" Half a mile, and one hundred and fifty feet 
high." 

They passed through the grotto, and after an 
hour's ride came to an ancient town, in the ap- 
pearance of which the children saw that the 
gentlemen were much interested. 

" What town is it ? " asked Walter. 

" This is ancient Puteoli, where Paul tarried 
seven days, when he was on his way to Rome ; 
and here we are at the old bridge of Calig- 
ula, now in ruins, and the pier at which Paul 
landed is there where those gentlemen and ladies 
are standing," said Mr. Percy, pointing to a 
group of persons near them. 

They went to the pier ; Walter stood where 
Paul is said to have stood, and then the party 
passed on, and at length reached a beautiful lit- 
tle lake. 



190 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" What lake is this ? " asked Walter. 

" A lake ? a frog pond, more like ! " responded 
his sister. 

" This, my son, is Lake Avernus, in which 
Strabo says the Cimmerians, a race of fortune- 
tellers, lived in caves never lighted by the rays 
of the sun. This little ruin on the shore is the 
Temple of Apollo, where iEneas went to consult 
the Sibyls and the gods ; and the forest behind is 
that in which he found the golden branch." 

" Tell me the story, pa," said Minnie. 

" We have no time now. Walter will do so 
when we return to the hotel." 

" Will you, Walter ? " 

" Yes, sis. But, father, where is Sibyl's Cave ? " 

" Just here — don't you see those men ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" They are guides, who will go with us into 
the cave." 

After some argument with the men, each 
one took a torch made of hemp, rosin, and tar, 
four feet long and two inches square, and de- 
scended through a long, dark passage, begrimed 
with soot and smoke, slimy and slippery, damp 
as death, and hissing with reptiles. This long 
passage leads to the Chambers and Baths of the 
Sibyls, which were once dry, and beautifully 
decorated and frescoed. They were forced to 



NAPLES. 191 

explore these chambers on the shoulders of men, 
the water in them being several feet deep. Sev- 
eral hideous, dirty, filthy-looking old fellows had 
followed the party some miles for the purpose of 
taking them in ; and when they had reached the 
water, they mounted each the shoulders of a 
cicerone, and on they went. Walter sat as 
quietly as could be on the shoulders of his 
bearer ; but Minnie, knowing that the man who 
carried her could not understand a word of Eng- 
lish, made herself and the whole party quite 
merry. The descent is really amusing. The 
waters splash as the men pass along ; the torches 
gleam, and cast out an unearthly light; the 
human horses keep up an incessant sound, half 
way between a snort and a groan ; and the cav- 
erns below us seem to echo with the music of 
the Sibyls. 

" Walter," shouted Minnie, " my nag is wind- 
broken — hear how he breathes." 

" Be still, sis." 

" I can't be still on this trotter." 

" You will fall off." 

" No, I won't ; I am holding on to the fellow's 
mane. I say, Mr. Tenant, isn't father spoiling 
that new white beaver of his against the smutty 
wall ? " 

" I don't know any thing about your father's 



192 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

beaver ; it is as much as I can do to keep on this 
fellow's shoulders." 

Thus they went down into the subterranean 
chambers, and, having rested a while, were 
borne out by the men, as they came in. 

Passing the Baths of Nero, the Temples of 
Diana, Mercury, and Venus, — which are now in 
ruins, having few traces of their former magnifi- 
cence, the beautiful vine called " Venus hair," 
creeping over the broken walls, and covering the 
spot where once stood the altar, — by the Julian 
Port, the Elysian Fields, and the River Styx, 
immortalized by Virgil, they came to Nero's 
celebrated prisons, which are under the spot 
where once stood the villa where the inhuman 
monster killed his mother. Here they rested, 
took refreshments, and prepared to return. 

On their way they came to Lake Agnano, 
which is a pond of water in the bed of an extinct 
volcano ; and, after riding along the shore, the 
valet de place called upon the driver to stop. 
He did so, and they all left the carriage. 

" What now ? " asked Walter. 

" We are going to see the Dog Grotto." 

" What is that ? " 

" You will see." 

They reached the cave, and found it a very 
peculiar one. A vapor rises from the ground 



NAPLES. 193 

which is fatal to life. A torch brought into con- 
tact with it is immediately extinguished, and a 
dog bound and thrown upon the ground will die 
in two minutes. A pistol, loaded in the best 
manner, could not be discharged when held 
near the ground. 

Mr. Tenant took a pistol, and loaded it in the 
presence of the company. 

" 0, what is that man going to do ? " cried 
Minnie. 

" Try an experiment, sis." 

" He will kill some of us — he is terribly care- 
less." 

Mr. Tenant now went to the mouth of the 
cave, and holding his pistol near the ground, 
tried to discharge it, but could not do so. The 
pistol might as well have been loaded with sand. 
He then raised the weapon, and fired in the 
air. The experiment was tried by Mr. Percy 
and Walter, with the same result. 

A man now came forward, dragging a dog. 
The creature howled pitifully as he was drawn 
roughly forward. 

" Is he mad ? " asked Minnie. 

" No," replied Walter. 

" Are they going to kill him '( '* 

" No." 

" What then ? " 
VOL. iv. 13 



194 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Try another experiment." 

" It is too bad ! " 

" It does seem cruel." 

The man took the dog and threw him into the 
cave, and the poor creature sunk powerless to 
the ground. He was allowed to remain about 
eighty seconds, and then taken out, nearly dead, 
but was resuscitated by being thrown into cold 
water. 

" This is singular," said Minnie to her 
brother. 

" Yes, it is." 

" What did you call the cave." 

" The Dog Grotto." 

" That is English." 

" Yes ; it is called here Grotta del Cane, and 
sometimes the ' Cavern of Charon.' " 

They then went to another cave, in which 
ammonia gas rises from the ground. The earth 
is cold, and yet an intense heat arises from it ; 
and, though no draught of wind can be per- 
ceived, one feels all the heat and gentle influ- 
ence which are derived while standing over the 
register of a large furnace. The effect oi in- 
haling the gas is highly exhilarating, and one 
would soon become intoxicated, as with opium 
or ether. 

" I am intoxicated ! " cried Minnie. 



NAPLES. 195 

" I can't hardly stand," said Walter. 

" I am not much better off," added Mr. Percy, 
whose head felt heavy, and who was aware of 
the bewildering effects of the inhalation. 

But they soon recovered, went on to the sul- 
phur baths, where one needs no fire to keep him 
warm. The apartments are small, rude, and 
covered with incrustations and saline deposits, 
and are formed by the sulphureous gases. Min- 
nie wanted to be shut up in one of the apart- 
ments, and the door was closed. She remained 
a few minutes, when her cry for liberty was 
heard ; and as she emerged the perspiration was 
pouring from her face like rain. 

They all laughed at her. 

" You may laugh as much as you please. I 
have taken a sweat in one of the fire chambers 
of Mount Vesuvius, and that is more than either 
of you can say." 

They were now admonished by the driver that 
it was time to return to the city, as the sun was 
setting ; and soon they were rolling along the 
crowded streets of Naples. 



196 THE PERCY FAMILY. 



Chapter XV. 

CLIMBING VESUVIUS. 

" OH ALL we go to-night ? " asked Minnie of 

^ her brother. 

« Yes." 

" Why in the night ? " 

" Because we wish to be on the mountain at 
sunrise." 

" It will be delightful." 

" We can tell better twenty-four hours from 
now." 

" Very true." 

The reader will see that this conversation be- 
tween the children relates to the ascent of Vesu- 
vius, which was planned for that night. The 
children retired early, and were called at mid- 
night, and the party at once set out. They rode 
in a carriage as far as Portici, where the carriage 
was exchanged for saddle horses. They had not 
gone far before Walter's horse stumbled and fell ; 
but being a good rider, the lad was not injured, 
or even frightened. He, however, exchanged his 
stumbling horse for the one rode by the valet de 



CLIMBING VESUVIUS. 197 

place, and they all went on. Minnie found the 
ride much easier than she expected, and Mr. 
Tenant keeping constantly at her side, she was 
not afraid. They left the green vegetation far 
below, and went climbing up amid huge masses 
of lava and red rocks, into regions more and 
more dreary and desolate. At the Hermitage 
and the Observatory they rested and took refresh- 
ments, and then pressed onward. The poor beasts 
picked out their way amid the fallen blocks of 
lava, now leaping across ravines, and then rub- 
bing their sides against the torn and ragged 
masses, until the bridle became useless, and the 
riders gave themselves up to the instincts of the 
animals on which they rode. About three hours 
after starting from Naples, they arrived at the 
base of the cone, and fastened their horses in the 
crater of an extinct volcano, or rather an old 
crater of the still trembling and fiery Vesuvius. 

" How are we going up this steep cone ? " 
asked Minnie. 

" I don't know," replied Walter. 

But the question was soon decided. Several 
men appeared who were accustomed to climbing, 
and these men each had a leather thong, one 
end of which was fastened to his shoulders, and 
the other end was given to the travellers. Min- 
nie was seated in a sort of chair, made of rope, 



198 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

and carried up. Up they went. The cone is 
desperately steep, and they were obliged to clam- 
ber up over rough, rolling pieces of lava, which 
are set in motion as the foot treads upon them, 
and frequently three steps are taken backward 
where one is set forward. The men gave the 
party much assistance, and they reached the 
summit just at sunrise. 

" How different from what I expected ! " said 
Minnie, in surprise. 

" Why ! what difference ? " asked Walter. 

" Why, at a distance, Vesuvius looks like a 
sugar loaf, with a small, flat surface at the sum- 
mit, from which a cloud of smoke is continually 
ascending." 

" Well ! " 

" On reaching the apex, we find that what 
appears to be a level plain is a tunnel-shaped 
crater, with its yawning mouth about one third 
of a mile across, and verging to a conical point 
in the centre." 

" How magnificent this is ! " 

" Yes ; but the ground under our feetishot, and 
little crevices are emitting steam and smoke." 

" Yes, and what if the thin crust should give 
way and let you fall in ! " 

" Pho ! there is no danger ! " 

They walked all around the crater, and cast 



CLIMBING VESUVIUS 199 

stones into the abyss, which, rolling down the 
sides, gathered great velocity as they went, and 
tumbled into the cavern below. 
■ " I am hungry," said Minnie. 

" I am not ; I think I never should be hungry 
in the midst of such wonders." 

" Hum! that is nonsense." 

" I have arranged for breakfast," said Mr. 
Tenant, overhearing the conversation. 

" Have you, Mr. Thoughtful ? I am glad of 
it," added Minnie. 

" How can we get breakfast here ? " queried 
Waiter. 

" I have brought some eggs and other things." 

" Boiled eggs ? " asked Walter. 

" No." 

" Then how can they be cooked ? " 

" You don't want to cook them," interrupted 
Minnie ; " any body as poetical as you, who, a 
moment ago, said you should never be hungry 
here, can as well eat them raw as boiled." 

" We will roast them," said Mr. Tenant. 

" How ? " 

" We will see," said the gentleman ; " the 
eggs we will cook in one of the little veins be- 
neath our feet." 

" Can you do that ? " 

M " fe will see." 



200 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

With a cane the soil was opened, and the 
eggs put in and covered up, and, in a few min- 
utes, were taken out well roasted, and ready for 
their rocky table, and the breakfast was devoured 
speedily, for all had excellent appetites. After 
the breakfast was completed, the guides formed 
a kind of seat, and they all sat down to enjoy the 
view presented, which was very fine. 

" The mountain is very quiet now — is it not, 
father ? " said Walter. 

" Yes, my son." 

" When was the first eruption ? " 

" The first of which we have any authentic 
account is that which buried Herculaneum and 
Pompeii." 

" What others ? " * 

" In almost every century since, there have 
been violent eruptions." 

" Any very violent ones ? " 

" Yes. That of 1794 shook down and over- 
whelmed the houses of Torre del Greco, a town 
of some twenty thousand inhabitants ; that of 
1822 sent forth such showers of ashes, that they 
were flying for more than a hundred miles, and 
the sun was darkened at noonday the region 
round about." 

" I wish there could be one while we are 
here." 



CLIMBING VESUVIUS. 201 

" There will not be.' 

" How do you know ? " 

" It takes the mountain some time to work it- 
self up. You see it is quiet now. When an 
eruption takes place, warning is always given." 

" Was it so when Pompeii was destroyed ? " 

" Yes ; though not as much warning as usual, 
was given them." 

" I have read somewhere that it came on so 
suddenly that Pliny the elder did not have time 
to escape." 

" The mountain gave warning enough, but 
the inhabitants of Pompeii did not think their 
city would be reached by the deluge of fire. 
The elder Pliny was the victim of his own 
hazardous nature." 

" How so ? " 

" The younger Pliny says of his uncle, ' The 
extraordinary phenomenon excited my uncle's 
philosophical curiosity to take a nearer view of it. 
He ordered a light vessel to be got ready, and 
gave me the liberty, if I thought proper, to 
attend him. I rather chose to continue my 
studies; for, as it happened, he had given me an 
employment of that kind. When, hastening 
to the place from whence others fled with the 
utmost terror, he steered his direct course to the 
point of danger, and with so much calmness and 



202 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

presence of mind, as to be able to make and 
dictate his observations upon the motion and 
figure of that dreadful scene. He was now so 
nigh the mountain, that the cinders, which grew 
thicker and hotter the nearer he approached, 
fell into the ships, together with pumice stones, 
and black pieces of burning rock. They were 
likewise in danger not only of being aground by 
the sudden retreat of the sea, but also from the 
vast fragments which rolled down from the 
mountain, and obstructed all the shore.' So 
you see he might have escaped if he had made 
the effort." 

The party remained on the mountain a long 
time, and then prepared to descend. 

" I shall tear my feet all to pieces going down 
over these rocks," said Walter to his father. 

" You do not go down over the lava, in the 
way you came up." 

" Ah, why not ? " 

" It would be attended with danger." 

" How so ? " 

" Why, these pieces of lava would begin to 
roll, and very soon you would be rolling with 
them." 

" I see. But how do we get down ? " 

" On the other side the mountain is covered 
with ashes, and you go down in the soft dust." 



CLIMBING VESUVIUS. 203 

And soon they were on their way down, in a 
most amusing way. Convulsed with laughter, 
and shouting to each other, they descended 
nearly ten feet at a leap, sinking in the soft, 
flowing ashes as if it were Jght, drifting snow, 
raising a cloud of dust, and setting the yielding- 
body in motion all around. 

Soon they were trotting back towards Naples, 
and when they reached the city, they were all 
very tired and hungry, and were glad to seek a 
bath and a dinner, and afterwards a quiet talk in 
their own rooms. 

" I wish I could converse with some one who 
has seen a violent eruption," said Walter, at the 
dinner table. 

" You can," replied his father. 

"How?" 

" Books enable us to converse with the dead." 

" But who has described the scene." 

" Pliny and others." 

" How did Pliny describe it ? " 

" His own words are, ' I cannot give a more 
exact description of its figure than by resembling 
it to that of a pine tree ; fur it shot up to a great 
height in the form of a trunk, which extended 
itself at the top into a sort of branches, occa- 
sioned, I imagine, either by a sudden gust of air 
ihafc impelled it, the force of which decreased as 



204 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

it advanced upwards, or the cloud itself, being 
pressed back again by its own weight, expanded 
in this manner. It appeared sometimes bright 
and sometimes dark and spotted, as it was more 
or less impregnated with earth and cinders.' " 

u There have been many very accurate and 
graphic descriptions of the eruptions given by 
scientific men, who have witnessed them," added 
Mr. Tenant. 

" I wish I could see it with my own eyes." 

" That cannot be. Imagination must supply 
the rest." 

Thus engaged in conversation, the party sat 
until the evening came, and they retired to rest, 
with the understanding that they should sleep 
as long as possible in the morning, as they all 
had need of rest. 




THE BURIED CITIES. 205 



Chapter XVI. 

THE BUKIED CITIES. 

" TTOW far to Pompeii ? " asked Walter, as 

J- A one morning they rode out of the city of 
Naples, on their way to the exhumed ruins of 
those towns that eighteen hundred years ago 
were overwhelmed. 

" About twelve miles, to the north-east," re- 
plied his father. 

" When was the city overwhelmed ? " 

" It was partly shaken down by an earthquake, 
A. D. 63, but the enterprising inhabitants soon 
repaired their shattered tenements, and erected 
their theatres and halls of justice with more 
beauty and elegance than before." 

" And again overwhelmed ? " 

" Yes. A few years rolled on, and a more 
general destruction occurred, and the history of 
Pompeii came to a sudden and terrible end." 

" When was it ? " 

" In A. D. 79." 

" Many of the people were killed — were they 
not?" 



206 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Yes." 

" I think you said, when we visited Vesuvius, 
that the mountain at that time gave warning." 

" Yes, I did sajr so. The surrounding hills 
gave evidence of convulsions. The lakes and 
ponds in the neighborhood were affected. They 
rose and fell ; retreated from the shores, and 
anon dashed up again upon the banks. Strange, 
unearthly sounds, like the rumbling of a thou- 
sand chariots over hollow pavements, were heard. 
Now and then, an opening chasm, emitting sul- 
phureous clouds, which hung like a sable pall 
over the doomed city, would be seen ; and at in- 
tervals a jet of flame, thrown into the air, would 
fall just without the walls, as if the mighty 
powers below were at play with the fears of 
men." 

" Why did not the people fly ? " 

" They did, but soon returned to their places." 

" And then, when the storm began to fall, 
what did they do ? " 

" The utmost terror seized them, and the con- 
fusion and distress were terrible." 

" How much of Pompeii has been exhumed? " 

" About forty acres." 

" How much of Herculaneum ? " 

" Only a few buildings." 

" Why so little ? " 



THE BURIED CITIES. 207 

°O^Oc 

" Because it is much harder to make the ex- 
cavations at Herculaneum than «,t Pompeii." 
" Why so ? " 

" Herculaneum was buried by the lava storm, 
which poured along the streets, deluging the 
houses, consuming the verdure, and overwhelm- 
ing every sign of life and beauty. Owing to the 
fact that this city was destroyed by lava, but few 
excavations have been made. The work is so 
slow and tedious, and requires so much labor 
and expense, that but little has yet been done. 
A large town is also built upon the spot, and the 
haoitations of the living rise upon the tombs of 
the dead." 

" And what was Pompeii buried with ? I 
always thought it was lava." 

" No. Pompeii was buried by a shower of 
ashes, and the work of exhuming it has been 
more speedy and successful. These ashes fell 
so fast that many had no opportunity to escape, 
or were buried in the streets as they were pur- 
suing their way to the distant sea." 

" Why were not these cities sooner exhumed ? " 
" It was not known where they were." 
" Ah ! When were they discovered ? " 
" The first traces of the buried cities were dis- 
covered in 1738, by Charles, King of Spain, who 
conquered Naples, and made Portici, a town 



208 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

which is built upon the ruins of Herculaneum, 
his residence. In sinking a well, three statues 
were found, which led to explorations, and re- 
sulted in the discovery of the long-buried city 
In 1750 Pompeii was discovered, after having 
remained concealed from view nearly seventeen 
centuries." 

They had now reached Herculaneum, and 
with torches in their hands they went down the 
rocky pathway, and saw the ruins of an old 
theatre, and one or two other buildings ; and, as 
there was not much to be seen they hurried on 
to Pompeii, and entered the city by the famous 
Appian Way. There they found the pavements, 
the houses, the columns, as they were when, 
eighteen centuries ago, the torrent fell upon 
them ; the shops of the traders, with the signs 
still up ; the frescoes on the walls, as bright and 
lively as ever ; the mosaics of stone and shell, 
all clear and distinct as they ever were. 

" I want you to take notice of this place, 
children," said Mr. Percy. 

" Why so," they both asked. 

" Because here a sentinel was found standing 
at his post of duty." 

" 0, yes," said Walter. " I remember Rev. 
Mr. K spoke of that in a sermon once." 

" What did he say ? " 



THE BURIED CITIES. 209 

" That this man was on duty, and chose death 
in preference to flight ; and his skeleton was 
found in the coat of mail, with his spear in his 
hand." 

" True ; it was so." 

" He must have been a faithful soldier." 

" Yes ; but notice this spot, marked by this 
large flat stone, children ! " 

" What of that?" 

" Here were found a woman and three chil- 
dren. When found one of the babes was at the 
breast, showing that he died in the act of nurs- 
ing." 

Passing on they came to the house of Diomede. 

" Diomede ! Diomede ! " Minnie repeated to 
herself; " it appears to me I have heard of Dio- 
mede." 

" Yes, sis ; Harry St. Clair was reading a 
story about Pompeii when we were at his house, 
a long time ago." 

" I remember now, something was said in the 
story about Diomede." 

" Yes, and here is his house, father says." 

" Tell me about it, father ! " 

" You see the house is near the foot of the 
mountain, and was probably destroyed soon after 
the eruptions commenced/ ' 

" Did the occupants escape ? " 
VOL. iv. 14 



210 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" No, seventeen skeletons were found here." 

" Why did they not get away ? " 

" They, probably supposing that the storm of 
fire and ashes would soon abate, retired to the 
subterranean passages below, with lights, and 
food, and wine, and there perished." 

" Were they all grown-up people ? " 

" No, one of them was a babe. Two others 
were children ; and when the skeletons were 
found some of the hair was on the skull." 

" Was there any little girl, like me ? " 

" Yes, one ; the little daughter of Diomede, 
the impression of whose rounded chest, made in 
the consolidated scoria, still is shown at Naples — 
the flesh consumed, but the bust remains to tell 
even the texture of the dress, as well as the fin- 
ished beauty of the neck and arms." 

" Did they find Diomede himself? " 

" Yes ; he was found in his garden with a 
bunch of keys in his hand, and near by him a 
slave, with some silver vases and several gold 
and silver coins." 

" What a terrible death it must have been ! " 

" And here," said Mr. Percy, as they had 
advanced some distance into the place, " is a 
prison." 

" What was found here ? " 

" Two men were found with their feet fast in 



THE BURIED CITIES 211 

the stocks. They were condemned to sit there 
a few days, but an awful Providence turned the 
sentence into one far more terrible ; and there, 
for seventeen centuries, they sat, ere friendly 
hands came to undo the stocks and let them 
out." 

" I should like to have been here when they 
were taken out," said Minnie. 

" Why — for what purpose ? " 

" To have seen with my own eyes." 

" Whose eyes should you see with if not your 
own, coz ? " asked Walter. 

" Well, I cannot hardly believe that all these 
persons were found buried here." 

" What building is this, father ? " asked Wal- 
ter, coming to a ruin more perfect than most 
they had seen. 

" This is the temple of Isis." 

« What, the idol ? " 

" Yes." 

"Was it full of people?" 

" No ; but near the door of the temple was 
found a skeleton of one of the priests, drawn into 
the temple, perhaps for plunder, and perhaps 
for devotion, at the awful hour when the city 
was being overwhelmed ; the ashes, pressing 
against the door without, rendered escape im- 
possible." 



212 THE" PERCY FAMILY. 

" Was that the only one found ? " 

" No, there were others." 

" Do tell us about them ! " 

" In one room a priest was found at the table 
eating." 

" Eating at such an hour ? " asked Mimiie. 

" Yes." 

" How could they tell ? " 

" The remains of his dinner were before him. 
The remnant of an egg and the limb of a fowl, 
tell us on what lie was making his repast." 

" But the ashes would not have stopped his 
eating." 

" He was probably suffocated by the noxious 
gas that came in." 

" Was there any other ? " 

" Yes ; a priest was found with some money 
in his hand, showing that he had come back at 
that awful hour to rob the temple." 

" Any more ? " 

" Yes, one man more. He was found near a 
door, with an axe in his hand, and on the door 
were the marks of the blows." 

The party then entered some of the shops — the 
barber's shop, the apothecary's store, the butch- 
er's stall. In the baker's shops were found the 
ovens ready for use, the mills in which the grain 
was broken, the kneading troughs, the various 



THE BURIED CITIES. 215 

articles used in the making of bread, and the 
bread itself, well done. In the butcher's stall 
meat well cooked was found. 

When they had seen the shops, they sought 
out some of the houses of the noted citizens, and 
the public buildings of the city. The house of 
Sallust was once a magnificent structure, and 
the remains still bear many marks of beauty 
and finish ; the house of Pansa is traced out, 
well arranged, spacious, and splendid, even in 
its ruins. The doorway still remains, with its 
beautiful Corinthian pilasters. The house of the 
tragic poet, so called, which was exhumed in 
1824, is an object of great interest. The vari- 
ous apartments are full as the walls can hang 
with historical paintings. 

xVs they walked about they met an old woman, 
withered and haggard, who looked as if she 
might have been the witch of the burning fields, 
who followed them, muttering as if she wished 
to express her hatred. They threw her a piece 
of money, and she turned back. They also saw 
at the House of the Fountains — so called because 
fountains are the most prominent things found 
in it — a poor, pale, blind girl, who heard them 
as they approached, and held out her hand. 

" This is the Nydia of romance," said Mr. 
Tenant. 



21G THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Let us see what she wants," said Walter. 

" Pictures," she said, as they drew near. 

" Ah, yes ; you have pictures, and you speak 
English." 

" A little." 

They found she had pictorial representations 
of the drawings and frescoes found on the walls 
of the houses, and they bought several. Walter 
was very particular in making his selections. 
He bought Jupiter wedding the unwilling Thetis 
to a mortal ; the priests of Diana engaged in 
preparing for the human sacrifice ; the great 
chariot race between the gods ; the battle of the 
Amazons ; and many others. 

The frescoes are as bright and lively as the 
day they were put on, showing that the ancients 
must have had some secret in the mixing of 
colors which we do not now possess. 

The party afterwards saw in the Museum at 
Naples all sorts of things taken from Pompeii, 
among which are the ancient stocks in which 
the two skeletons were found made fast; the 
skull of the sentinel, in his rusty armor, as he 
was found at the gate, on duty still in death ; 
the petrified body of Diomede ; a statue found 
in the Temple of Isis ; an alabaster jar of fra- 
grant balsam, nearly two thousand years old, in 
a tolerable state of preservation, as it was taken 



THE BURIED CITIES. 217 

from an apothecary shop ; chandeliers from the 
house of Diomede ; jewelry, rings, pins, cameos, 
of all sizes, and of immense value, taken from 
the limbs of the skeletons ; cooking utensils, of 
all kinds, from a tin pot to a cook stove ; with 
all of which the children were much interested. 
They were very much pleased with the eggs, 
meat, soup, bread, fruit of various kinds, so 
wonderfully preserved that none could mistake 
them. 

" It has been a wonderful day ! " said Mr. 
Tenant, as the party assembled in the evening, 
after having visited Pompeii, in their hotel. 

" It has so, indeed," replied Mr. Percy. 

" I noticed," said Walter, " that the town of 
Portici was built up over the ruins of Hercula- 
neum." 

" Yes," replied his father. 

" May not that place be destroyed ? " 

" Yes, it is liable to destruction every day." 

" How sad it would be ! " 

" We hope such an event will not happen, but 
none can tell." 

" I shall never forget this day." 

" Nor shall I," added Minnie. 

" Well, children, go to bed now, and, forgetting 
all you have seen and heard, sleep so soundly, 



218 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

that you will not even dream, and you will rise 
refreshed to-morrow." 

" I want to dream, pa ! " said Minnie. 

« You do ! " 

" Yes, sir." 

" Of what ? these buried cities, skeletons, and 
volcanoes ? " 

" 0, no indeed ! " 

" Of what then ? " 

" Of Home ! " 




COASTWISE. 219 



Chapter XYII. 
coastwise. 

" TTOW does the glass stand to-day ? " asked 
J-X Mr. Percy of Walter, who had been reach- 
ing up to a thermometer that was given him by 
a neighbor, Mr. Cushman, just before he sailed. 
" Eighty in the shade." 

" It is getting too hot for us to stay in Naples.'* 
" Well, father, Minnie has been ready to leave 
for several days, and I am sure I shall be glad 
to move into a cooler region. My winter clothes 
are getting uncomfortable, and changing about 
as we do, I do not like to put on a thin suit." 

" I learn," added Mr. Tenant, " that almost 
all the Americans in Naples are leaving. Mr. 
Daubney, whose girls Minnie frollicked so with, 
during carnival in Rome, took his family away 
last week. Mr. Seymour and family go to-mor- 
row ; and, as we have seen all we want to of 
Naples, I suggest that Ave go with them, on 
board the Romagna, in which they will sail for 
Genoa." 

" But are we aU ready ? " 



220 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

« I am." 

" So am I," added Walter. 

" Are you, Minnie ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" Are your clothes all in order, your linens 
all washed, and your trunk in packing order ? " 

" Yes, sir — can be ready in half an hour." 

" 0, we do not wish to hurry off so soon as 
that." 

" Then to-morrow morning." 

" If all are ready, I have no objection to going 
in the Romagna. I will walk down and engage 
passage for the company. I will get a family 
ticket, including four persons, for it will come 
cheaper." 

" A family ticket ? " queried Minnie. 

" Yes, dear ! " 

" Well — but — how ? " 

" < Well — but — how ' what ? " 

" I was thinking, if you had a ticket for a 
family, what part of the family Mr. Tenant 
would be." 

" We can count him in." 

" But you are father, we are the children. 
Mr. Tenant cannot go as our mother — can 
he ? " 

They all laughed. 

" No," replied Mr. Percy ; " but a family 



COASTWISE. 221 

ticket means a company ticket, and if they were 
all men it would make no difference." 

The ticket was secured, berths were taken, 
and the next evening about dark the steamer 
sailed. She was anchored in the harbor of Na- 
ples, and the party were carried out in boats, 
and in the operation almost swamped. So care- 
less was the boatman, that Mr. Tenant lost his 
good nature, and reproved the fellow somewhat 
sharply. 

That night, when they retired to rest, the 
moon and stars were shining brightly, and they 
anticipated a delightful run up the Mediterra- 
nean. But, about midnight, Walter woke by 
the violent pitching of the vessel, and found 
the cabin in much confusion. His father was 
already up, and very seasick. Minnie was in 
the ladies' cabin, in charge of Mrs. Seymour, and 
Mr. Tenant, who was never seasick, was in his 
berth laughing at the sorrowful figure presented 
by his friend. 

" What is the matter, father ? ' J asked Walter. 

No answer. 

" Is it a storm ? " 

No reply. 

Just then a terrific peal of thunder that seemed 
to break about the steamer, gave him the infor- 
mation he desired. It was one of those dreadful 



222 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

thunder storms that sometimes range over the 
blue waters of the Mediterranean like an angry 
demon, raging with uncontrollable fury. There 
were about forty of them in the cabin, a little, 
square room, not large enough to accommodate 
twenty comfortably. The waves dashed over 
the decks, and the passengers were shut down, 
with little ventilation. The steamer was small, 
and, under the violence of the waves, seemed to 
be knocked about like a chip in a tempest. The 
little boat seemed to be standing now on one 
end, and then on the other ; now poised on a 
watery pinnacle, and anon buried deep in the 
trough of the sea, while far above her the angry 
waves were heard roaring in their terrible might. 
Mr. Percy was too sick to be afraid, and Walter, 
leaving his own berth, crept into that of Mr. 
Tenant, who kept him from being thrown out 
violently. 

But all at once a crash was heard on deck ; 
terrific yells sounded from above, and it seemed 
as if the steamer was going down. In an in- 
stant every person was on his feet, and every 
berth left vacant. 

" We are gone for it, Walter," said Mr. Ten- 
ant, holding the lad firmly. 

" 0, dear, dear, boo, boo, boo ! " moaned a 
stout man, who was holding on to his berth. 



COASTWISE. 223 

" We are sinking ; help ! help ! " shouted an 
Englishman, running to the stairway. 

" De quoi s'agit-il Id ? " (what's the matter 
there ?) cried a Frenchman, leaping from his 
berth. 

For a few minutes the wildest consternation 
reigned in the cabin. No one seemed to know 
what the matter was ; but most of the passengers 
thought they were going to the bottom. But 
that catastrophe not happening at once, some of 
the more active managed to open the gangway 
and get on deck, where the trouble was at once 
explained. 

"What was it?" asked twenty persons at 
once, as they came down again, drenched with 
water, and wet to the skin. 

" 0, nothing at all," replied one. 

" But tell us," cried the excited passengers. 

" Right over our heads," said Mr. Tenant, 
who had been one of the three who had been on 
deck, " a dozen horses were fastened. During 
one of the lurches of the vessel the stalls in which 
they were confined gave way, and the affrighted 
animals went capering about the deck, to the 
consternation of their Italian keepers, who set 
up the fearful howl we heard." 

" Is that all ? " asked the stout man who had 
boo-hoo'd so loudly. 



224 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" I thought it was nothing," said the English- 
man who had cried for help. 

" Tres bien" (very well,) muttered the 
Frenchman, jumping into his berth. 

The wind now going down, and the storm sub- 
siding, Mr. Tenant went to his berth, taking- 
Walter with him, as Mr. Percy was very sick. 

" What became of the horses? " asked Walter. 

" They went overboard — all of them. But 
go to sleep, the steamer does not pitch much 
now." 

Walter slept soundly, and woke in the morn- 
ing to find the sun shining, and the sea as smooth 
as if it had never known a storm ; and in due 
time the little steamer rode into the harbor of 
Leghorn, which is a dull place, the stores and 
houses all bearing marks of decay. Business 
seemed to be stagnant and dead, and they 
walked about amid deserted habitations and si- 
lent streets. 

At Leghorn the steamer was to stop all day to 
take in freight, and our travellers improved it 
by a visit to Pisa, about twelve miles distant, 
and which is reached by rail. The first thing 
after arriving at Pisa was to visit the wonderful 
leaning tower, which has seven bells, and is two 
hundred and seventy-eight feet high. 

" Do we go up, pa ? " asked Minnie. 



COASTWTSE. 225 

" Yes." 

"How?" 

" We ascend by a winding staircase, and from 
the top enjoy a fine prospect of the surrounding 
country." 

And up they went, until Minnie's little ankles 
were tired, and Walter began to pant with the 
exertion, and at length they were at the top. 

" How much does it lean over ? " asked Wal- 
ter of his father. 

" The declination is from fifteen to eighteen 
feet." 

" How came it to lean so ? " 

" Whether the tower was built as it is, in a 
leaning position, or whether the foundations 
have settled, is a matter of question, nor can an 
examination settle the point. I incline to the 
latter opinion, which accords with the view taken 
by most travellers." 

" I want to go down ? " said Minnie. 

" What for ? " asked Walter. 

" 0, I am dizzy." 

"Folly!" 

" No, it is not folly ; I am real dizzy ! " 

"Then don't look over." 

No wonder Minnie was dizzy. One naturally 
clings to the rail of the gallery as he looks 
down from the dizzy elevation upon the earth 
VOL. iv. 15 



226 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

beneath, which seems to be passing from under 
him. 

When they had staid up there long enough, 
they descended and went to the cathedral, the 
interior of which is of alternate layers of black 
and white marble, giving it a unique appear- 
ance. The dome is finely frescoed, and fine 
paintings adorn the walls. 

" Look at that chandelier, children," said Mr. 
Percy. 

" Yes, sir, I see," replied Walter. 

" That is not much," said Minnie. 

" It is much," said her father, reprovingly. 

" What makes it ? " 

" I will tell you. That chandelier, once beau- 
tiful, but now black and time-worn, and sus- 
pended from the centre of the dome above by a 
black, dirty rope, suggested to Galileo the idea 
of the pendulum, which has since been applied 
to so much advantage to the world." 

" Ah ! " said Walter, quite pleased with the 
information. 

" 0, ! " cried Minnie. 

" What is the matter, child ? " asked Mr. 
Tenant. 

" 0, see that creature ! " 

" Don't be frightened." 

" See that spear in his hand." 



COASTWISE. 2^9 

" Ah, that is a monk, with his face covered 
with a black nightcap, with holes for his hateful 
eyes to glare out, come to beg ; and what you 
thought was a spear, is a collection box." 

" 0,1 thought it was — the — the — wicked one." 

" Hush, child," said her father. 

The monk did certainly look frightful, with 
his black mask covering his face. 

The party went to the baptistery, a large 
and elegant building in the form of an immense 
dome, which rises to a height of one hundred 
and seventy-nine feet ; and to the Campo Santo, 
in which they were all much interested, and 
then returned to Leghorn, where, at night, they 
again embarked for Genoa, at which place they 
arrived the next morning, all glad to leave the 
little miserable steamer. 

" Why do you call this a city of palaces ? " 
asked Walter of his father one night while in 
Genoa. 

" Because palaces are so numerous here." 

" We have seen several ; but not enough to 
make the city remarkable on account of 
them." 

" They are more numerous than you suppose. 
These hotels that you see were once the palaces 
of nobles and princes. Any person may rent a 
palace at a less cost than he can hire a decent 



230 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

tenement among us; and beggars now tread 
where nobles used to live." 

" Columbus used to live here." 

« Yes." 

" Was he the son of a noble ? " 

" Yes, a noble wool-comber." 

" Tell us about Columbus," said Minnie. 

" He was born poor, and struggled with pov- 
erty all through his youth. In 1470 he went to 
Lisbon, married a wealthy lady, and devoted 
himself to geographical pursuits. When he be- 
came convinced that there was an undiscovered 
continent, he laid his plans before the Portuguese 
court, but they were rejected. He then came 
home to Genoa ; but this city refused the honor. 
He then went to the court of Spain, and at 
length, after numerous discouragements, set sail 
from Palos, under the patronage of Ferdinand 
and Isabella." 

" How old was he ? " 

" In his fifty-sixth year." 

" You have both read about the discovery, how 
the sailors wanted to return, and for weeks mur- 
mured against him ; how at length the birds 
from the land were seen, then a branch with red 
berries on it. When Columbus had taken pos- 
session of St. Salvador he returned to Spain, 
where a triumphant reception met him ; and 



COASTWISE 



231 



he marched beneath a bower bearing the in- 
scription, — 

Por Castilla y por Leon 

NUEVO MUNDO HALLO COLON.' " 

" What does that mean ? " 

" It means, ' For Castile and Leon Columbus 
has discovered a new world.' ' 

" Why did they not call our country, ' Colum- 
bia,' for him ? " 

" Because the honor was unjustly claimed by 
another adventurer." 

" Who ? " 

" Amerigo Vespucci." 

" How did Columbus die ? " 

" In disgrace, from the ingratitude of Spain." 

" Tell us more about him." 

" No, not to-night. Retire now, and rest." 

" Good night, father," said Walter. 

" Good night," said Minnie. 

" Good night, and pleasant dreams to you 
both." 



232 THE PERCY FAMILY. 



Chapter XVIII. 

GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 

THE beautiful plains of Italy have often been 
drenched in blood. Some of the most ter- 
rible battles ever fought, have been witnessed on 
that devoted peninsula ; and ere the people are 
free from tyrants, new streams of human gore 
will doubtless flow, and new scenes of carnage 
will be witnessed. Our party arrived in the 
north of Italy while those stirring events, which 
have already become parts of written history, 
were transpiring in 1859. 

" I have a proposition to make," said Mr. 
Percy, one morning just after reaching Turin. 

" What may it be, pa? " asked Minnie. 

" It may be to put you into a convent," said 
Walter, laughing. 

" I don't think I should consent to that. But 
what is it, father ? " 

" It is to leave you in Turin, while the rest of 
us go out to where the French army is encamped, 
and see what is going on." 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 233 

" Vive VEmpereur!" shouted Walter, de- 
lighted with the proposition. 

" What will you do with ine ? " asked Minnie. 

" Leave you here." 

" Alone ? " 

" No.' 7 

" Who with ? " 

" I saw yesterday a family from Boston, who 
are to remain in Turin several weeks, and they 
say they would be glad to take care of Minnie, 
and do for her more than her father can." 

"Who are they?" 

" A family named Phillips, consisting of hus- 
band and wife and two daughters." 

" How old are the daughters ? " 

" One seventeen, and the other fifteen years." 

" Are they pleasant people ? " 

"Yes." 

" How long will you be gone ? " 

" But a few days. What do you think of it? " 

" I can stay ; but I would rather go with you." 

"No; that would not do at all." 

" Then I will stay here. When will you 
start?" 

" To-morrow morning, if Mr. Tenant agrees 
to it." 

" I certainly do," said that gentleman, who 
had been entertaining the same ideas. 



234 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

So, the next morning Minnie was introduced 
to the family, with which she was to stay during 
the absence of the party ; and the rest of the 
company started for the field of battle. 

" Who is this Garibaldi that I hear so much 
about ? " asked Walter of Mr. Tenant. 

" He seems to be a very prominent character 
in this campaign." 

" Well, tell me all about him, so when I read 
about him I shall know who he is." 

" He was born at Nice, on the 4th of July, 
1807." 

" Famous day for a patriot to be born." 

" Yes." 

" Who was his father ? " 

" His family was poor ; his father an unknown 
man ; and he was brought up among the fisher- 
men of his native place. He entered the Sardin- 
ian navy at an early age, and soon distinguished 
himself. But let me read a few passages from 
his life, written by one who knows him well." 

" Read on." 

" ' Implicated in 1834 in the Italian insurrec- 
tional movement, this young seaman, compro- 
mised at Genoa on account of a Liberal conspir- 
acy, found himself compelled to take refuge in 
France. He travelled on foot across the moun- 
tains to Nice, where he lay concealed two days 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 235 



3^ 



in a friend's house, who, by dressing him in the 
clothes of a farmer of his, got him across the 
Var. After passing two years at Marseilles, 
chiefly in the pursuit of his mathematical stud- 
ies, Garibaldi embarked in an Egyptian corvette, 
to go and serve as a naval officer in the fleet of 
the Bey of Tunis. As he did not meet there 
with a part to satisfy his active mind, he could 
not remain longer than a few months. So he 
soon set out for Rio Janeiro. The province of 
Rio Grande del Sol had erected itself into a re- 
public. Our adventurer made an offer of his 
sword to the military government of Uruguay, 
and received the chief command of the squadron 
intended to act against Buenos Ayres. The 
contest lasted two years. During this time the 
new commander, quite in his element, performed 
such prodigies of valor that the natives said of 
him, ' It is not a man, but a devil ; ' and so su- 
perstition got mixed up with his name. He had 
been seen in several encounters to dash with his 
troops into the thick of the fight, then reappear 
safe and sound, and always victorious, from these 
terrible engagements, where the fighting was 
always hand to hand.' " 

" But how came he back to Italy ? " 
" The account tells, < The insurrection of the 
peninsula, in 1848, brought Garibaldi back to 



236 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

Nice. A part of his legion accompanied him ; 
with it he acted prominently in the war of inde- 
pendence against the Austrians in the Southern 
Tyrol, where, as a sharpshooter, he incessantly 
harassed their army. At Rome, he was the soul 
of the resistance. Marshal Vaillant, in his re- 
port of the operations during the siege, did jus- 
tice to the energy and skill of his adversary. It 
was impossible, in fact, to make more of the 
poor resources left at the disposal of the besieged. 
The volunteers fought there like veteran troops. 
On the 9th of May, at Palestrina, he defeated 
the Neapolitan army, twice superior in numbers 
to his own. A few days later, at Velletri, where 
he was severely wounded, he was still to win the 
honors of the day. Finally, he sustained for a 
whole month the attacks of the French army, 
and, as all the officers admit, with admirable 
presence of mind. In the last council of war 
held at Rome, Garibaldi, on being called upon 
to give his opinion, proposed the employment of 
extreme measures ; but they were not approved. 
He then left the city with the remnant of his 
little army, traversed the enemy's lines, and 
withdrew to the neighborhood of St. Marin. 
There his troops disbanded.' " 

" Was he not in America a while ? " 

" Yes, he went to America and engaged in 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 237 

trade for a time, and then went to Peru, where 
he again distinguished himself in the army. 
When the war was over he returned to Italy, 
and lived in quiet on the Island of Caprea." 

" What about his family ? " 

" He had a lovely wife, who was a heroine in- 
deed. She went with him into battle,, and was 
killed at his side." 

" By whom ? " 

" By the Austrian s." 

" They will kill him by and by — won't they ? " 

" Yery likely ; but he seems now destined to 
play a very important part in the regeneration 
of Italy." 

As they journeyed through the country, Wal- 
ter obtained much information in relation to the 
movements of the hero and the allied armies. 
The party passed on until they began to see the 
evidences of war. They crossed the Ticino at 
Buffalora, and saw the wonderful bridge which 
was destroyed by the Sardinians, having been 
blown up by gunpowder. It was one thousand 
feet long, and cost seven hundred thousand dol- 
lars. It was called the Everlasting Bridge, as it 
was designed to last forever. On through Milan 
and Bergamo they went to Brescia ; and here 
they paused to form plans and consider what 
had better be done. When they had reached a 



238 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

conclusion, they went on by a circuitous route 
to Castiglione, a town on the hill-side, where they 
found out the positions of the two armies. Then 
they cautiously followed through a country filled 
with dangers, and at a safe distance witnessed 
the great battle of Solferino. The village by 
this name is built around a conical hill, on the 
top of which is the Spia d' Italia, a square tower, 
from the top of which you can see the whole 
country, from the Po to the Alps. Following 
upon the rear of the French, putting them- 
selves under military protection, but careful 
to keep far enough from actual peril, they saw 
the battle, as well as they could see, without 
being engaged in it. The furious charges, the 
terrible resistance, the final result, were all wit- 
nessed. The fight was for the village, and the 
Austrians were forced back by degrees, contend- 
ing step by step. Walter was horror-struck to 
see the shells bursting in the midst of crowds of 
men, scattering death all around. 

" How many soldiers are there engaged ? " 
asked Walter of his father, as they stood looking 
through glasses at the battle. 

" There must be as many as three hundred 
thousand." 

" How does this number compare with other 
battles ? " 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 239 

" What ones ? " 

" Any of the battles of the first Napoleon — say- 
Waterloo ? " 

" At Waterloo, as I told you on the field when 
we went on it, there were sixty-seven thousand 
French and sixty thousand English, and Blucher 
brought up the reserve of about thirty thousand 
Prussians." 

" How many were there at Austerlitz ? " 

" About seventy thousand French, seventy 
thousand Austrians, and fourteen thousand Rus- 
sians." 

" At Wagram ? " 

" The French had one hundred and seventy 
thousand, and the Austrians one hundred and 
thirty-seven thousand." 

" At Moscow ? " 

" The Russians had one hundred and thirty 
thousand men and six hundred pieces of cannon, 
the French one hundred and thirty-four thousand 
men and five hundred and eighty-seven cannon ; 
the former lost fifty-eight thousand and the lat- 
ter fifty thousand." 

" At Leipsic ? " 

" At the battle of Leipsic, the three hundred 
and thirty thousand allies had against them two 
hundred and sixty thousand French; the latter 
lost thirty thousand prisoners and forty-five 



240 TEE PERCY FAMILY. 

thousand killed and wounded, and the former 
forty-eight thousand killed and wounded." 

" How was it at Jena ? " 

" There there were one hundred and forty-two 
thousand French and one hundred and fifty-two 
thousand Prussians." 

While they were gazing on, they saw the Aus- 
trians give way before the intrepid French, and 
soon they were advancing towards the town. All 
along were dead bodies, and the sickening sight 
led Walter to desire to be taken away from the 
scene of carnage and blood. Believing it safer 
to retire, not knowing what excesses would be 
committed after the battle, the party returned to 
Castiglione, where they passed the night. The 
next day they wandered over the battle-field, 
and went into the riddled village of Solferino. 
Every where they were treated with courtesy, 
and a French officer paid them every attention 
in his power. 

When they had seen enough, they took a cir- 
cuitous route, and returned to Turin, where they 
found Minnie lonesome and sad ; but she was 
soon cheered by their presence. Walter gave 
her a long account of what he had seen. 

" Did you see Victor Emmanuel ? " 

" Yes, sis." 

" How did he look ? " 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 241 

" He is a robust man, with heavy whiskers, 
and a brave look, and — and — I don't know 
how he looked." 

" Did you see the emperor ? " 

" What emperor ? " 

" Napoleon." 

" Yes, several times." 

" The Emperor of Austria — did you see 
him ? " 

" No, we did not dare to go where he was. 
We took good care to keep out of the way of the 
Austrians." 

" Did you hear how he felt when he found 
that he was beaten." 

" W T e were told in Milan that he wept like a 
child." 

" What a baby ! " 

" Men of stronger minds than his have wept 
when the tide of battle has turned against them." 

A few days after this, they heard that the two 
emperors had had an interview at Villafranca, 
and concluded an armistice. The particulars 
were derived from official bulletins, and from 
the papers of the day. At length Mr. Tenant 
received a letter from an Englishman whose ac- 
quaintance he had made, and from that the party 
gathered some interesting facts not previously 
made public. 

VOL. iv. 16 



242 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" All, see here, children, what I received." 
" What is it, Mr. Tenant ? " they both asked. 
" A letter from that English letter writer, 
whom we met at Castiglione." 

" What does he say ? Read it to us." 
" Well, listen to what he says about events 
that occurred subsequently to our leaving the 
scene of battle : — 

" ' The Emperor of the French, accompanied 
by Marshal Vaillant, Generals Martimprey and 
Fleury, his military household, the Cent Gardes, 
and a squadron of Guides, started at seven from 
Valleggio on horseback. He arrived at Villa- 
franca, which is about five miles distant, after a 
slow and somewhat protracted journey, stopping 
on the way several times, and frequently riding 
out from the regular road. The meeting of the 
two sovereigns was fixed for nine o'clock. At 
a quarter of an hour before, Napoleon arrived at 
the spot ; and he came before the time in order 
that he might go on for a short distance to meet 
the Emperor of Austria. Francis Joseph soon 
made his appearance, and seeing that his late 
adversary had courteously come to receive him, 
urged forward his horse. When the two parties 
had come near, the escorts stopped short, and 
the emperors advanced into the centre of the 
unoccupied space. The escort of Louis Napoleon 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 243 

was composed of Marshal Vaillant, General Mar- 
timprey, General Fleury, the officers of the im- 
perial household, and of his staff, and of a squad- 
ron of the Cent Gardes, and one of the Guides, 
all in their splendid full-dress uniforms. He 
rode the fine bay horse which he has used since 
the commencement of the campaign, and wore 
the undress uniform of a general of division, in 
which he looks well. The Emperor of Austria 
wore an undress cap, and blue uniform frock 
coat, and was followed by his staff, a squadron 
of his body-guard, composed of nobles, and a 
squadron of Hulans. It is said that he was 
much struck with the martial bearing of the 
French cavalry, and that in presence of the Cent 
Gardes and the Guides, the Austrian body-guard 
and the Hulans did not appear to advantage. 
On the two sovereigns meeting in the mid space 
they courteously saluted and shook hands. The 
Emperor of Austria appeared pleased with the 
cordial welcome and open manner of the Em- 
peror Napoleon. The two emperors remained for 
a moment alone in the middle of the road, and 
exchanged a few words. They then reciprocally 
presented the officers of their staffs ; and the 
moment after the several officers were inter- 
mingled, and Marshal Vaillant was seen in con- 
versation with Baron de Hess. Napoleon III. 



244 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

and the Emperor Francis Joseph then advanced 
side by side towards Villafranca, the Cent Gardes 
giving the precedence to the body-guard of Aus- 
tria, who led the way, but the Guides passing 
before the Hulans. At Villafranca, the house 
of M. Carlo Morelli, situated in the principal 
street of the town, had been prepared to receive 
the two sovereigns. The Emperor of Austria 
had passed a night there before the battle of 
Solferino. It is a habitation comfortable, but 
simple, and not remarkable for any extraordi- 
nary attraction. The furniture and curtains of 
the conference room were green, and the walls 
painted in distemper. There were several seats 
of various kinds, but only two arm chairs. In 
the centre was an oblong table covered with a 
green cloth, and on it was placed a vase of fresh- 
ly-gathered flowers, which quite perfumed the 
room. It was there that for upwards of an hour 
and a half the two emperors were seated, dis- 
cussing the highest interests, and without any 
one being present. The King of Piedmont was 
not invited to the interview. Whilst the inter- 
view was going on, I was outside in the street, 
whence I could see the escorts, some remaining 
seated on their horses, while others had dis- 
mounted, but not the slightest sound was heard ; 
every kind of conversation was suspended, and 



GLIMPSES OP BATTLE. 245 

all seemed dominated voluntarily by the impor- 
tance of the incident which was passing. As to 
what took place inside I cannot say any thing ; 
all that I know is, that when the two sovereigns 
issued forth from the conference, they seemed 
both perfectly satisfied. The word to mount 
was then given, and in an instant all were in 
the saddle. The Emperor of Austria uttered a 
few words expressive of the admiration he felt 
for the French army, and did Marshal Vaillant 
and Generals Martimprey and Fleury the honor 
of shaking hands with them. The two sover- 
eigns then took leave of each other with the 
greatest cordiality, and the next moment each 
splendid cortege was on the way back to the 
place from which it had started. The Emperor 
of the French entered Valleggio a little after 
eleven.' " 

" That is very interesting," said Walter, as 
Mr. Tenant folded up his letter. 

" Yes ; but what has become of Napoleon's 
boast, that he would give freedom to Italy from 
the Alps to the Adriatic," asked Mr. Percy. 

" 0," replied Mr. Tenant, " these monarchs 
act from matters of expediency, and change their 
minds as often as there seems to be a change of 
circumstances. " 

" That is so," said Mr. Leonard, a young 



246 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

American, who was present ; " for Napoleon has 
just made a speech in reply to an address given 
him, in which he is reported to have explained 
his course in the following words : ' Arrived be- 
neath the walls of Verona, the struggle was in- 
evitably about to change its nature, as well in a 
military as in a political aspect. Obliged to 
attack the enemy in front, who was intrenched 
behind great fortresses, and protected on his 
flank by the neutrality of the surrounding terri- 
tory, and about to begin a long and barren war,, 
I found myself in face of Europe in arms, ready 
either to dispute our successes or to aggravate 
our reverses. Nevertheless, the difficulty of the 
enterprise would not have shaken my resolution, 
if the means had not been out of proportion to 
the results to be expected. It was necessary to 
crush boldly the obstacles opposed by neutral 
territories, and then to accept a conflict on the 
Rhine as well as on the Adige. It was necessary 
to fortify ourselves openly with the concurrence 
of revolution. It was necessary to go on shed- 
ding precious blood, and at last risk that which 
a sovereign should only stake for the independ- 
ence of his country. If I have stopped, it was 
neither through weariness or exhaustion, nor 
through abandoning the noble cause which I 
desired to serve, but in the interests of France. 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 247 

I felt great reluctance to put reins upon the 
ardor of our soldiers, to retrench from my pro- 
gramme the territory from the Mincio to the 
Adriatic, and to see vanish from honest hearts 
noble illusions and patriotic hopes. In order to 
serve the independence of Italy I made war 
against the mind of Europe, and as soon as the 
destinies of my country might be endangered I 
concluded peace.' " 

" I wonder what Francis Joseph says to his 
people in explanation of his defeat," said 
Walter. 

" He has also sent a manifesto to his people," 
answered Mr. Leonard. 

" What does he say ? " 

" He admits that the fortunes of war have not 
been favorable to him and his cause, but assures 
them that the French, in spite of the greatest 
efforts, in spite of the superior forces which they 
had for a long period been preparing for the con- 
flict, have been able, even by making the greatest 
sacrifices, to obtain only advantages, not a deci- 
sive victory ; while the Austrian army, still ani- 
mated by the same ardor, and full of the same 
courage, maintained a position, the possession 
of which left perhaps a possibility of recovering 
from the enemy all the advantages that he had 
gained." 



248 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Why didn't he go on with the war then ? " 

" He has his explanation." 

" What is it ? " 

" He pretends to be very humane, and wishes 
to spare the shedding of blood, and says, ' In 
spite of the ardent sympathy, worthy of acknowl- 
edgment, which the justice of our cause has in- 
spired, for the most part, in the governments and 
peoples of Germany, our natural allies, most an- 
cient allies, have obstinately refused to recognize 
the great importance of the grand question of the 
day. Consequently, Austria would have been 
obliged all alone to face the events which were 
being prepared for, and which every day might 
have rendered more grave. The honor of Aus- 
tria coming intact out of this war, thanks to the 
heroic efforts of her valiant army, I have resolved, 
yielding to political considerations, to make a 
sacrifice for the reestablishment of peace, and to 
accept the preliminaries which ought to lead to 
its conclusion ; for I have acquired the convic- 
tion that I should obtain, in any event, conditions 
less unfavorable in coming to a direct under- 
standing with the Emperor of the French, with- 
out the blending of any third party whatsoever, 
than in causing to participate in the negotiations 
the three great powers which have taken no part 
in the struggle. Unhappily, I have been unable 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 249 

to escape the separation from the rest of the 
empire of the greater part of Lombardy. On the 
other hand, it must be agreeable to my heart to 
see the blessings of peace assured afresh to my 
beloved people; and these blessings are doubly 
precious to me, because they will give me the 
necessary leisure for bestowing henceforth with- 
out distraction all my attention and solicitude 
on the fruitful task that I propose to accomplish ; 
that is to say, to found in a durable manner the 
internal well-being and the external power of 
Austria by the happy development of her moral 
and material forces, and by ameliorations con, 
formable to the spirit of the time in legislation 
and administration.' " 

" Victor Emmanuel must feel badly in view of 
this ? " 

" No, he does not seem to." 

" How do you know ? " 

" I saw posted in the streets to-day his procla- 
mation, in which he seems jubilant at the con- 
clusion of the war. He says he has come back 
from battle to tell the nation that Heaven has 
granted its wishes. He calls Napoleon * a mag- 
nanimous and valiant ally.' " 

" There is one other," said Walter, " who 
does not seem to have been consulted." 

" Who is that 1 " asked Mr. Percy. 



250 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

" Garibaldi." 

"No; his name does not appear to have been 
mentioned in the matter." 

" What will he do ? " 

"It is hard to tell. His idea of a free and 
united Italy is not yet realized, and he will 
probably fight on his own charges." 

" Where will he be likely to make his appear- 
ance ? " 

" Perhaps in the vicinity of Venice ; perhaps 
beneath the walls of Rome ; perhaps in the 
streets of Naples." 

" Can he do any thing alone ? " 

"He is not alone. Right is with him ; God 
is with him ; the sympathy of Italy is with him." 

" What makes him hate the Anstrians so 
badly ? " 

" He has been ill-treated by them, as you 
know, and he will not rest until Austrian influ- 
ence is swept out of Italy." 

" I heard an anecdote of him the other day." 

" What was it, my son ? " 

" At one time since the commencement of 
hostilities, General Urban had one of Gari- 
baldi's men shot. Garibaldi at the time had 
twenty-two Austrian prisoners, and when he 
heard what Urban had done, he gave orders to 
shoot two of them, and then calling the oldest 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 251 

of the prisoners before him, said, ' I set you at 
liberty. Return to General Urban, and tell him 
that since he has caused one of my soldiers to be 
shot, I have shot two of his ; and let him be as- 
sured that if I learn that a single prisoner is 
executed again, I swear to shoot every one who 
may fall into my hands, be he marshal or Em- 
peror of Austria. Let him not force me to show 
what the wrath of a father, whose child, scarcely 
aged thirteen, was assassinated by Austrian sol- 
diers, may drive him to do.' ' 

" Would he dare do that ? " asked Minnie. 
" He would dare do any thing, I should think," 
replied her brother. 

" But if he should shoot the emperor, all Eu- 
rope would rise up against him." 
" So father says." 

" But, perhaps, while kings and courts rose up 
against him," said Mr. Leonard, "all. the peo- 
ple might rise up for him. It would take but a 
spark to set this whole continent in a blaze." 

•< 0, 1 shudder at the idea," said Minnie. " It 
seems so dreadful." 

" Yet not so dreadful as the continued oppres- 
sion of this whole land. Italy is under a curse, 
and blood will be shed to wipe it off; and it is 
not so fearful to have the blood flow as to have 
these millions forever trampled under foot. All 



252 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

good men would rejoice in the emancipation of 
this peninsula." 

" Did you not say, father, that Garibaldi was 
in America once ? " 

" Yes." 

" Was he in Boston ? " 

" Yes ; he came to Boston in the year 1853 as 
the captain of a Peruvian bark." 

" What was her name ? " 

" The Carmen." 

" I should like to see him." 

" It is doubtful if you ever will." 

" Why not ? " 

" Because we are so soon to leave this land, 
and he will probably live here until, in some 
convulsion of the political elements, he will lose 
his life." 

" 0, 1 hope not ! " 

" So do I." 

" And so does lialf the world," added Mr. 
Tenant. " On the life of this brave man hang 
the most important events — perhaps the future 
destinies of Italy." 

" Is not this people changed very much ? " 
asked Minnie, " since the old times of which I 
have read ? " 

" 0, yes. As the traveller pursues his way 
from the palaces of Naples up to the foot of the 



GLIMPSES OF BATTLE. 253 

Alps, he forgets, in the present degradation of 
the people, that this is the land of Dante, Michael 
Angelo, Petrarch, and Manzoni." 
"What has done it?" 

" You who have looked upon Italy as it is, 
without knowing much of its history, and its po- 
litical condition, fail, of course, to see why it is, 
and I have hardly time to go into the subject. 
But you see it as it is — a besotted region. The 
finest of all lands, it lies under a bitter curse. 
The hand of God is on it, withering its flowers 
and threatening woe to the people. Priestcraft 
and kingcraft are doing what foreign armies and 
invading forces never could do. The despot's 
foot is on the track of progress, and his iron hand 
is raised against the spread of truth." 
" Do you suppose it will ever be free ? " 
" Yes, all lands will eventually be free." 
And the young reader who has heard of Gari- 
baldi, and the struggles for Italian independence, 
ever must wish that Italy may become independ- 
ent, and that the words of Mr. Percy may prove 
true. Even children love liberty, and those 
boys and girls who know how much the old 
soldiers of the revolution suffered for liberty, 
must wish that so beautiful a country as Italy 
might have the same freedom that is enjoyed in 
New England. And perhaps she will soon. 



254 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

M Voices from the mountains speak ; 
Apennines to Alps reply ; 
Vale to vale, and peak to peak, 
Toss an old remembered cry : 
Italy 

Shall be free ; 
Such the mighty shout that fills 
All the passes of her hills." 

We have now followed our travellers through 
several most interesting countries, and with them 
witnessed many very interesting things ; and 
now, while the last page of this little volume is 
being written, the very changes spoken of by 
Mr. Percy to his children are taking place. 
The young reader will not need to be informed 
that Garibaldi has, with a few undisciplined re- 
giments, driven the Neapolitan army from Sicily, 
and, marching on Naples, the king fled to Gaeta, 
(to which town the reader will remember the 
children were told the pope fled, in 1848, in dis- 
grace,) and the conqueror entered with a loss of 
only eight men, leaving his army at a distance, 
while he rode with his suite through the streets 
crowded with men who had so lately been hostile 
to him. 

And still, ere the page is closed, the wonder- 
ful intelligence comes that Rome, that stagnant 
sea, is stirred, that the pope meditates flight, that 
the papal troops are flying before the Sardinians, 



GLIMPSES OP BATTLE. 255 

and that the Eternal City is rocking like the cra- 
dle of revolution. 

" Long ago was Gracchus slain ; 
Brutus perished long ago ; 
Yet the living roots remain 

Whence the shoots of greatness grow. 
Yet again, 
Godlike men, 
Sprung from that heroic stem, 
Call the land to rise with them. 

" They who haunt the swarming street, 
They who chase the mountain boar, 
Or, where cliff and billow meet, 
Prune the vine or pull the oar, 
With a stroke 
Break their yoke ; 
Slaves but yester-eve were they — 
Freemen with the dawning day. 

«* Looking in his children's eyes, 

While his own with gladness flash, 
♦ Ne'er shall these,' the father cries, 
« Cringe, like hounds, beneath the laslu 
These shall ne'er 
Brook to wear 
Chains that, thick with sordid rust, 
Weigh the spirit to the dust.' 

« « Monarchs, ye whose armies stand 
Harnessed for the battle field, 
Pause, and from the lifted hand 
Drop the bolts of war ye wield. 
Stand aloof 
While the proof 



256 THE PERCY FAMILY. 

Of the people's might is given ; 
Leave their kings to them and heaven. 

" Stand aloof, and see the oppressed 
Chase the oppressor, pale with fear, 
As the fresh winds of the west 
Blow the misty valleys clear. 
Stand and see 
Italy 
Cast the gyves she wears no more 
To the gulfs that steep her shore." 

So writes a poet of our own land ; and to 
every noble sentiment the childhood, as well as 
the manhood, of America will joyfully respond. 
The words that Walter wrote in his journal, the 
last night of his stay in Turin, before leaving for 
Milan, will be echoed by all our youthful read- 
ers : " May revolution go on until the mailed 
heel of Victor Emmanuel shall clank upon the 
marble pavement of the Vatican, and Garibaldi 
shall cross the Rialto, and be welcomed as the 
deliverer of Venetia, and Kossuth shall wave 
the banner of Arpad over regenerated Hungary, 
and all the world shall be free. ; 



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